Well, let's check in on some of our most frequent topics, shall we?
Late Night Wars — Leno is up lately, Conan is down. A lot of folks are for no visible reason eager to say the battle is over and to declare a victor. It's not that easy to say how right or wrong NBC was to oust Conan O'Brien from The Tonight Show and reinstall Jay Leno. You have to theorize as to where Conan's ratings would be if he still had that gig. I'm guessing though that NBC is feeling pretty good about their decision right now and the folks at TBS who took Conan in have to be just a tad concerned. I've been watching Conan there, by the way…or at least, watching some of the show. He's had a string of guests who don't much interest me and neither do their interviews…but I'm enjoying the non-interview segments. I think actually it's a better show than what he did at NBC.
Spider-Man on Broadway — No further accidents…and some online commenters are making the point that because of the injuries, there's an added layer of suspense for the preview audiences. When the actors are flying through the air, there's less certainty that nothing can go wrong. The long preview schedule has caused some reviewers to begin bending the unofficial rule that a show is not to be reviewed until it officially opens. So far, those who are doing the bending don't seem to like what they see, particularly citing a weak second act, unmemorable songs and unnecessary and muddled revisions to the Spider-Man legend. Meanwhile, the big online debate seems to be over news that the injured Christopher Tierney does not intend to file a big, whopping lawsuit against the show. For reasons I can't quite explain, some hail this as admirable while others deem it lunkheaded. Few are considering the possibility that the decision has anything to do with some some nondisclosed settlement that might already have been negotiated.
The Writers Guild — It seems like we're always striking, coming off a big strike or heading towards the possibility of one. Not many are mentioning the "S" word yet but the Guild has been organizing something we call our "Pattern of Demands." This is a wishlist of potential contract improvements we assemble each time we head into negotiations. In some past episodes, the "pattern" has been that the other side gives us a take-it-or-leave-it offer and refuses to even listen to the wishlist, let alone concede any of its points. Last time out, they did at least listen and we made a little headway on the list. This time, the smart money is that we're headed for a quick and dirty deal — the Producers huddle with our current president John Wells and a few others and made an arrangement to head off a strike with the usual incremental fee increases and a few token items from the Pattern of Demands. I'm not saying that will definitely happen but both sides have ample reason to make it go that way. At the moment, I don't see a picket line in my future.
I'm going to be very busy the next few days…maybe not Mushroom Soup busy but close to it. Posting here will be hit-and-miss. Responses to e-mail will be the same with the emphasis on the "miss." I am fine, dear friends. Just have a lot to handle as I run the End of the Year Clearance on my "to do" list. Back soon.