You are probably aware that the Writers Guild of America is on strike. If you aren’t aware, you may have been wondering why late night talk shows are in reruns, now you know. The Writers Guild of America has been on strike and they have stopped writing for major networks and many favorite television shows. As of date, there is no sign that the strike is going to end soon and because of this, many shows are soon to stop airing new material and will simply be in reruns.
The first shows to feel these affects were the late night talk shows with the daily talk shows next in line. There has been a great outpouring of support from many actors and actresses, with some of them even taking to the picket lines with the writers. Jay Leno, Sally Field, and Julia Dreyfuss have all been seen showing their support for the writers who’ve made their shows a success. However, there is one television talk show host who is standing behind her series and making new shows in spite of the protests of the Writers Guild, Ellen Degeneres.
First, I should say that this is a very tricky situation. I think that the real issue at hand isn’t the Writers Guild or Ellen’s lack of support in the writers that work for her. I believe the party that has led to Ellen’s actions is none other than Oprah Winfrey. You see, Oprah Winfrey does not hire writers from the Writers Guild; she has her own writers (I think she has her own everything). Anyway, it stands to reason that if Oprah Winfrey’s show is continuing in new material and Ellen Degeneres is on the back burner that it is more than possible that Ellen could literally lose her viewing audience permanently. Oprah and Ellen are on the same time slot and the loss would be a huge victory for Oprah and could pose a possible (yet I believe very minimal) threat to Ellen’s livelihood. Personally, I believe that if Ellen could come back from her Iggy breakdown without missing a beat she is pretty much invincible but who knows, celebrity status is a very delicate thing- take a look at Britney Spears.
I truly feel that Ellen is thinking in the long run and trying to keep her show going because quite frankly, she doesn’t want to lose out to Oprah. I seriously doubt that a woman who cares so deeply for a dog that was ripped away from her hairdresser’s daughters is so cold hearted towards her writers.
When I first heard that Oprah had her own writers and would be virtually unaffected by the writer’s strike I immediately thought, “Oh, no there goes Ellen.” But what also came to my mind, was how I truly believe that Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and the rest of the late night crew along with Ellen Degeneres have the capability of carrying out their shows without the assistance of writers. I know that I am not part of this industry, but some of the funniest moments that I’ve witnessed on these shows aren’t in their opening monologue sessions, but when they begin talking to their guests one on one, and you can see that their natural humor surfaces. These celebrities have written their own material for years, I would personally find it interesting just to watch their shows and see how they performed without the assistance of a writing team, but of course I support the Writers Guild’s decision. I just feel that many of the talk show hosts have the capability of carrying the show without them and would relish the chance to watch their shows completely unscripted.
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