Strike Watch: This Is About All Of Us Now
Don't believe the hype when it comes from those hoarding the wealth
The last time the Writers Guild of America went on strike — Nov. 5, 2007 — I worked as a full-time newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News. A couple of weeks later, though, I’d left the NYDN and gone rogue, launching The Comic’s Comic. Back then, I thought I’d become the Hunter S. Thompson of comedy. I’ve since matured and evolved past my time as the Jane Goodall of comedy, and into the Roger Ebert of comedy. And that’s a good thing.
As a newspaper guy since the 1990s, I’ve already lived through and survived this capitalist slaughter before…
Sure, Craigslist decimated the classified ad departments at newspapers everywhere, and now journalism is under constant attack from propaganda and disinformation campaigns, fueled by “social” media. But in between, the newspaper business crumbled from within, thanks to capitalist greed of the C-suite and Wall Street. All of the big newspaper chains were profitable — and yet their profit margins weren’t growing as much as their investors demanded, prompting wave after wave of layoffs, eliminating the reporters and resources that made newspapers worth subscribing to or advertising in in the first place.
No wonder so many of us have ended up here on Substack.
Now show business faces this doom spiral. It’s not just the writers. Remember how IATSE narrowly avoided a strike in 2021, despite how crews continue to be mistreated. Think about how studios rush VFX houses to produce CGI based on schedules wholly of the studios’ making. Think about how Netflix cancels most of their shows before they can negotiate better contracts. Think about how studios now want to own the rights to actors voices so they can repurpose them for future dialogues without having to pay them another penny.
Now think about the rest of us. Remember how the oil companies told us they had no choice but to raise gas prices last year (blame Russia!), then boasted record profits. Remember how egg producers said they had no choice this year but to raise prices (blame the bird flu!), only to crow about record profits. Inflation, all of it, all voodoo economics. If times really were tough, how come the execs at the top all made out like bandits?
NARRATOR: BECAUSE THEY ARE BANDITS
There’s got to be some good news this week, right? Alrighty then.
If you’re a comedian who needs help, my friends at Comedy Gives Back may be worth a holler. They wanted me to let you know that they’re emphasizing “their support and solidarity with standup comedians during both the writers’ strike and Mental Health Awareness Month. The organization is committed to providing assistance and resources to comedians struggling with the impact of the strike, including weekly recovery meetings in Los Angeles, financial crisis relief, access to therapy and counseling services, and more.”
Peabody Award Winners
Congrats to Quinta Brunson and Abbott Elementary, Donald Glover and Atlanta, Sharon Horgan and Bad Sisters, Julio Torres and Ana Fabegra for Los Espookys, Mo Amer and Mo, W. Kamau Bell for We Need To Talk About Cosby, and the funny people involved in both Better Call Saul and Severance. You’re all now PEABODY AWARD winners!
Der Comisar, oh-whoa-oh!
This might only be news you can use if you have a ton of disposable income, but comedy nerds still can nerd the f out over this upcoming auction from Heritage Auctions: 2023 June 2 - 4 The Comisar Collection Platinum Signature® Auction #7318.
The auction includes the actual sets from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Late Night with David Letterman, All in the Family, and Cheers. There’s lots of other original artifacts from iconic pop culture lore, but for the TV furniture collections, it’ll set you back at least $100,000 to get in on the bidding. Good luck and good night.
R.I.P. Bill Saluga
Best known for his bit, “You can call me Ray…,” the comedian Bill Saluga died back in March at the age of 85 but news only came out about it this past week. Saluga, born Sept. 16, 1937, worked as a doorman at The Bitter End in NYC’s Greenwich Village, but broke out as a member of the comedy troupe, Ace Trucking Company (whose members also included the late great Fred Willard). Saluga’s “Raymond J. Johnson Jr.” character became such a fixture in the 1970s that it landed him in national TV ads such as this one for Natural Light beer, alongside the late Norm Crosby.
Saluga also appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm playing uncle to Richard Lewis, and had plenty of other TV credits to his name. But it was that “don’t call me Johnson” bit that stuck. Even if The Simpsons would later slag him for it, and King of the Hill played it both ways. Rest in peace, “Ray.”
Industry News and Notes
This is an interesting piece from Bloomberg about what life is like in Yellow Springs, Ohio, as chief comedian in residence Dave Chappelle asserts his influence in town affairs (the episode that made national headlines suggesting the comedian was a NIMBY didn’t tell the whole story, as not just by NIMBYing apartment complexes, but also by turning an old firehouse into a comedy club, and buying other properties through his holding company, Iron Table Holdings LLC). From the feature story:
Few people will say anything critical of Chappelle on the record, citing fear of losing their jobs or customers. Off the record, locals from different racial backgrounds and different generations say things like:
Chappelle is “a force that’s turning us into the place that we’re all trying to stay away from.”
“Dave’s got to be the biggest contentious thing that I’ve ever seen pit neighbor against neighbor.”
“If you close ranks, and then you decimate anybody that speaks against an idea you have, then how does that inform community, or build community, and how does that save a community?”
Several villagers compared Chappelle to former President Donald Trump for his propensity to, as one put it, “never apologize, double down and blame the other person.”
What else is new?
As I was finishing this dispatch, news broke that Michael Keaton is down to do Beetlejuice 2, with Winona Ryder, and Jenna Ortega playing her daughter. Coming Sept. 6, 2024.
The CW is filling some programming gaps by acquiring and distributing comedian Mark Critch’s Son of A Critch, from the CBC and Lionsgate Television. The first 13-episode season will debut this summer.
The CW also has picked up FBOY Island, formerly on HBO Max, and still hosted by Nikki Glaser. The new season will air this fall. Glaser also will host a spinoff, FGIRL Island.
The first movie from SNL’s “please don’t destroy” trio, meanwhile, will open exclusively on Peacock on Nov. 17. It previously was scheduled to hit the big screen this August.
FOX has canceled Call Me Kat after three seasons. The sitcom starred Mayim Bialik and also featured the late Leslie Jordan.
But FOX will rock 12 Stars On Mars this June as an unscripted reality contest definitely not set on Mars, hosted by William Shatner, and including Natasha Leggero alongside Lance Armstrong, Marshawn Lynch, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Adam Rippon, Ronda Rousey, Tom Schwartz, Richard Sherman, Tinashe, Porsha Williams Guobadia, Tallulah Willis and Ariel Winter
Gloria Sanchez Productions (Will Ferrell’s studio) has new heads of film and television: Alex Brown (film) and Alix Taylor (TV).
Peyton Manning is developing What Are the Odds? a Vegas sportsbook comedy, with NBC. It’s the former QB’s first sitcom in the works out of his Omaha Productions shingle. He’s working on this with Sam Sklaver and Kevin Hench.
Conan O’Brien made a deal with Samsung to launch a FAST channel exclusively this summer on their TVs and Galaxy phones.
New tours and tickets for them going on sale this week for Daniel Tosh, Russell Howard, and Brian Regan.
The National Comedy Center has announced the headliners for their 2023 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, this coming Aug. 2-6 in Jamestown, NY: Gabriel Iglesias and Taylor Tomlinson!
Speaking of tickets for shows and events…Live Nation has announced the return of Concert Week, offering fans access to $25 all-in tickets to more than 3,800 shows across North America this year. The promo runs May 10-16, and includes current comedy tours for Kevin Hart, Bill Maher, Kountry Wayne, Chelsea Handler, Becky Robinson, Ben Schwartz, David Spade, Jason Leong, Jimmy Carr, Lewis Black, Sam Morril, Stavros Halkias, Trey Kennedy, and a bunch of musical acts, too. Head to livenation.com/concertweek for the deal.
Last Week’s Specials
New on Amazon Originals
BeBe Zahara Benet: Africa Is Not a Country (via Comedy Dynamics)
Biswa Kalyan Rath's Mood Kharaab (Prime Video India)
New on Dry Bar
Luke Thayer: A Special Gift From God
New on YouTube
Eunji Kim: Live From The Raven Room (via Four by Three)
Simon King: As Good As Or Better Than (via 800 Pound Gorilla Media)
Plus re-releases from Robert Klein, Dave Meherje, Dale Jones and more.
THIS WEEK: 10
LAST WEEK: 14
THIS MONTH (MAY): 10
RUNNING TOTAL for 2023: 258+10=268
Fun Things To Do In NYC
This past weekend’s show(s) I plugged in The New York Times: Michael Cruz Kayne’s “Sorry For Your Loss” officially opened Monday night at Minetta Lane Theatre, with a run extended to June 10. He’ll also be recording his show for Audible.
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