NEW YORK (AP) The show “The Drew Barrymore Show” will start airing new episodes on Monday, but there will be plenty of off-air debate will be hanging on to its charming host.
Barrymore is a daughter of a renowned acting dynasty is putting out new episodes of her talk show that is syndicated despite the protests at her studio, while daytime television becomes the latest battleground within the ongoing Hollywood labor conflict.
“We’re around four months into this labor dispute and it’s not surprising there are some who have defected,” said Michael H. LeRoy Professor of employment and labor relations in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I didn’t know this would be happening during the daytime However, everybody is at a breaking point during an employment dispute.”
“The Drew Barrymore Show” running without the three writers who are unionized it’s not the only daytime program to return. “The View” is back in its second season, which is the 27th on ABC as well as “Tamron Hall” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan” both of which are subject to guidelines of the writers guild are also producing new episodes. “The Jennifer Hudson Show” as well as “The Talk” have also been relaunching on Mondays.
So long as hosts and guests do not discuss or promote the work that is covered by theatrical, television or streaming agreements in any way, they’re technically not violating the strike. This is because the talk show genre is covered by an entirely separate contract -the so-called Network Code — from the one that writers and actors are striking under. This Network Code also covers reality television, sports, morning news programs soap operas, and game shows.
“I realize that there is absolutely nothing that I do to allow this to be acceptable to people who I am not in agreement with. I am fully aware of the fact that it is not OK,” Barrymore said in an Instagram post on Friday. Instagram which was later removed. “I would like everyone to know that my motives were never in a position to make anyone upset or hurt anyone else. This is not me.”
The ongoing strike involves Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Radio and Television artists against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers which is the body that represents Disney, Netflix, Amazon and other companies.
A return to daytime show hosts producers, studio crews and hosts could result in some awkward conversations, according to Zayd Ayers-Dohrn, an author, professor as well as director for the MFA on Writing to Screen and Stage at Northwestern University.
“It’s incredible that they’ll be going back to work, with their own writers protesting out of the Studio,” said Dohrn, writer’s guild member. “They’re practically walking by the lines of workers that they claim to be in support of.”
The decision of Barrymore to return to television was met with criticism via social media. “You have the capacity and will to better understand the demands of the community more than that,” posted one person on Instagram. Another user was more blunt: “You don’t get to play a caring and charming character if it’s financially advantageous for you, only to get scabs when your wallet is put at risk.”
The actor and social activist Alyssa Milano, whose ties with Barrymore has been going on for years and has also voiced her opinion on the reunion, describing it as “not a good move.”
“I really love her and I have been a fan since childhoodhowever, I’m not convinced that this was the best choice to strike. I’m sure that in her eyes this is the best choice for her and her show, but in terms of you consider the WGA as well as SAG and unions are strongit’s not the best move.”
Her stance was also greeted with dismay after she quit hosting her show MTV Movie & TV Awards in May, the very first major awards show to be broadcast amid the strikes. In the past she had written “I had listened to writers and to fully respect them, I’m going to change my position off host of MTV’s MTV Movie & TV Awards live to show out of solidarity to the strikes.”
The actress has since lost a second hosting job she was invited to host the National Book Awards in November. The organization has withdrawn her invitation “in in light of the announcement that “The Drew Barrymore Show will be resuming production.”
LeRoy who has been studying the labor-employer struggle for over 30 years, has warned that television shows such as Barrymore’s could think that they can make it without the help of union writers, but could incur long-term costs.
“No Members of the Writers Guild will ever work on that show ever again,” he said. “It’s an instant, uplifting moment, or a way to say goodbye that is for Drew Barrymore and maybe the others, but over the long-term they’ve I believe they have basically decided to take their early retirement.”
He also cited other strikes from the past that caused bitterness for a long time for instance, the time Major League Baseball umpires went to strike back in the year 1999. New umpires were recruited and were merged into veteran umpires but tensions persisted.
“For the coming 25 years, these umpires wouldn’t talk with each other in the event that they were asked to work together on games,” LeRoy said. “Twenty-five years of shunting. People do not forget it.”
People who watch new morning talk shows will see a different scene. They don’t always have the top stars with movies or blockbuster TV shows to advertise. Since the strike started the writers, musicians and comedians have filled in the voids.
In the week of April 1, Neil deGrasse Tyson was on “Live With Ryan and Kelly” discussing the scientific basis of the Hulk as Cedric The Entertainer spoke to Hall the story of his first novel. Matthew McConaughey was on “The View” to promote his novel “Just For Fun.”
Hosts such as Barrymore might find themselves in a loss-lose situationlegally bound in order to go back to their jobs, but certain to upset colleagues when they make. In the past week, she said “This is more than me alone.”
The ill Maher, who announced that he’d be returning to his talk show, described his reasons as being a desire to help his entire staff, stating that the writers “are certainly not the sole ones having issues, problems and issues.”
Dohrn does not believe in the idea: “They talk about wanting to help those who are barely surviving. However, Bill Maher and Drew Barrymore and The View’s hosts aren’t just surviving. They could easily be a part of the workforce in the field and declare, ‘We’re not going to support into the pipeline of studios until they come up with an honest offer and we’re willing to accept it,'” he said.
“They’re making a decision for a variety of complex reasons to return to work, and ultimately to end this strike.”
Source Credit :Seattle Times
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