Flave

Well, I stand corrected.

Still not sure why an animated episode would take so long to produce but, since I know exactly nothing about the biz, I guess I shouldn't have commented.

Upper pylon 3

^Yes. I believe that is correct. I think they record the voice actors before they even start the animation. So they should have a few episoded recorded. They just need to finish them up.

redrum

Los Angeles (E! Online) - The ongoing writers strike may be sparking a Family feud.

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The overlords at Fox have announced plans to air an original Family Guy episode this Sunday and move forward on three more without the participation of mastermind Seth MacFarlane, who not only serves as show runner but supplies many of the key voices.

The move has angered MacFarlane, who stopped work on the series last week to join the picket lines with other WGA members. Film and TV writers whose union went on strike Nov. 5 to force Hollywood studios to negotiate a bigger cut of the profits from DVD sales and other future digital media platforms.

"It would just be a colossal dick move if they did that," Family Guy's creator told Variety, noting that the next three episodes of the animated comedy are "relatively close to completion, but they have not had a final pass."

MacFarlane acknowledged that both the network and producer 20th Century Fox TV are "legally within their rights" to finish new episodes without his input, but doing so, he said, could not only affect the show's creative direction and thus alienate viewers but also harm the successful partnership MacFarlane and Fox have built up over the years.

"They've never done anything like this before, in which they've said, 'We're going to finish a show without you,' " he said. "It's really going to be unfortunate and damaging to our relationship if they do it."

Fox declined to comment. It was known before the strike that only one episode had been completed before MacFarlane walked out, and Fox had the difficult choice of going into reruns during November sweeps or finishing the incomplete shows. The first of those was sent to the network yesterday to be vetted for this weekend.

Still, MacFarlane—who also said he won't voice Family patriarch Peter Griffin, Brian the dog, and evil baby genius Stewie until the strike is over—implored Fox to scuttle the idea.

Given that he's been in talks with the network for a new long-term contract for the past year, MacFarlane does have a little bit of leverage.

"I'm technically in breach of nothing," he added.

Fox has a tough balancing act producing the show and keeping MacFarlane happy. Aside from solid ratings, Family Guy was one of the first TV series to do blockbuster business on DVD, becoming the top-selling TV DVD of the year for 2003. That success led Fox to revive the series after canceling it. On Nov. 4, Family Guy celebrated its 100th episode.

While MacFarlane addressed a group of picketers in front of the Fox lot, hundreds of film and TV actors showed up on the picket lines outside Universal Studios Tuesday to lend their support to the WGA action.

"There isn't an actor I talk to who hasn't felt what the writers are going through," said CSI star William Petersen, who was there with costars Marg Helgenberger, Wallace Langham and other show folks.

The Screen Actors Guild has quite a bit at stake in how the current work stoppage shakes out. The acting union's contract is due to expire in June (as is the Directors Guild's), and they want the same thing as writers—a larger share from the burgeoning new-media market.

"Everyone knows the Internet is the future," said Two and a Half Men's Jon Cryer. "If we don't get a piece of that, we're doomed."

Added Seinfeld's Jason Alexander: "This is not about some big star's salary. It's about big company profits. It's high time writers shared in a percentage of the profits."

Also on hand to support the scribes were castmembers of Grey's Anatomy, including Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight, and stars of Desperate Housewives, Big Love, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Cold Case, Without a Trace, Numb3rs, The Big Bang Theory, Dexter and Mad Men. Others, including Sopranos star and writer Michael Imperioli, marched in front of Wall Street.

Meanwhile, the stoppage appears to be taking a toll on NBC. The Peacock became the first network to withdraw from January's Television Critics Association's winter press tour, which showcases midseason series. Others are expected to follow.

mrpayroll

Corrected.

I really don't think one person can due justice to all of those unique voices.

Chris

mrpayroll

From reading that story, it seems that more and more actors are siding with the writers. Of course, since they (actors) and the directors contract is also expiring in the middle of 2008, they need to have the writers behind them then, if they (the actors & directors) go on strike.

The studios / producers should just be smart and settle with all 3 groups and hopefully everyone is treated fairly and we have a peace that lasts for another 20 years.

Chris

C-Mart

So, is Mcfarlane not working on the show at all? I thought that he just couldn't do any writing... Is he protected as, say a director or whatever, if he is shirking all of his duties?

There is only one statement in that article that is incorrect. The writers aren't going after profits. The money that they are asking for is residuals, which would occur whether or not the work in question makes a profit. In other words, if a studio sinks $40 million into a movie and it only brings in $10 million initially... the writers would still get their 4 extra cents (or whatever it is) for each DVD and digital download, regardless of whether the studio made a profit.

I'm not siding with either side, just stating the facts. Actually, with so many other people losing their jobs because of this I'm on the verge of siding with the studios.

Regardless, I think that Fox will lose a lot of Fans if they don't do these episodes right. I can only hope that there was enough done on these last 3 that the direction stays in-tact.

mrpayroll

I'm sure the studios would love the writers to get their money from the profits. Then all shows and movies would not be making a profit!

Chris

Jimmy James

From what I could gather, he's between contracts and has been working under what I assume to be the parameters of the old deal while they worked something out. If that's correct, he would be well within his rights to walk, just as Fox is well within its rights to complete these episodes.

wendersfan

Most people don't understand the issues behind the strike. The actors who are friends with the writers are able to demonstrate support and communicate to the public why the writers' actions are important. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

lordwow

The Simpsons has a similar 9 month gestation period. They argued that part of the reason the show was so successful was that it didn't come together until the very end, and thus, the network could never review it before it aired.

Triple S

That worked great for Livia Soprano!

Sean O'Hara

Yup, he has like five voices for thirty characters. The guys a regular Rich Little.

vaporware

I was so going to go with that joke and then saw you beat me to it.

Linn1

Best quote EVER. Doomed??!

Mr. Salty

It's more complicated than just residuals.

Ron Moore, one of the producers of "Battlestar Galactica," recently said in an interview that the studios are requiring them to write, produce and direct Internet-only content (i.e. "webisodes"), yet they are refusing to pay any of the talent involved, including writers, actors, directors, camera people, etc. The studios are classifying web content as promotional material that does not itself generate income, yet the studios are selling advertising to run with the web content and refusing to disclose how much they're making from such advertising.

I'm sorry, but people deserve to be paid for their work. And the reason other unions are supporting the writers strike is because these issues will be a point of negotiation when their contracts are up for renewal. Actors and directors contracts expire in a few months.

DeltaSigChi4

E

DVD Josh

FOX would gladly pay them if they showed up for work and wrote and produced episodes.

Peep

Yet one could argue that producing promotional content is part of the job that you are initially paid for. How many actors and actresses get paid for their various talk show appearances?

bboisvert

I'm sure that's the argument that they are making. But, can anyone really do that with a straight face?

Watch the BSG or Office 'webisodes'. Those are filmed stories, plain and simple. If they're streaming them with paid advertising, I don't see how anyone can argue that that stuff is any different than the episodes themselves.

*Someone's* getting paid when those go up to the web site. Why don't the writers get a share?

lotsofdvds

If you appear on a talk show, you get paid by the show. It's not a lot, but you do get paid.

Big Boy Laroux

that's one of the beefs. the writers don't feel that these "webisodes" should be labeled promotional material.

shanester

I see him more like a genuis along the lines of Mel Blanc

I only started watching this show recently on dvd and I can't believe how freakin' funny it is. I thaught for sure Stewie was voiced by some tight assed English dude. Mcfarlane says he was inspired by watching Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady. I can see the similiarities

He has a very specific dialect for all the voices he does. The man is truly gifted!

PS I always thaught in the opening credits Stewie was singing "F'n cry" instead of "laugh and cry"

Seantn

They do get paid. It's required. Talk shows are AFTRA, I believe (Not SAG), and by appearing on the show you have to be paid as any AFTRA performer would be paid who appears on the show. Whether you're in a skit as an actor or just for an interview. It's a couple hundred bucks.

Layziebones

Oh god, like the South Park Chef.

Plus for the guys who thinks it doesnt take 9 months to make an episode, there is a hell of a lot of stuff that goes into it. It has to be written, reviewed, rewritten, drawn(which takes forever; 20 minutes of show is really thousands of images; put together; Voiced, Synched with voice and picture, looked over by fox, edited, Formatted for TV. All that in only 9 months is impressive.