Michael Schur and Jen Celotta visit the OTCR

22:15:52 mg714: Where exactly are the Office writers striking? On set or elsewhere?
22:16:19 JenCelotta: mike is taking this one. I’m really good and quick at typing responses to yes/no questions.
22:17:16 DestroyPhone: Jen, yes or no, can I hire you to write jokes for me?
22:17:28 MichaelSchur: We were at our own lot, which is way out in the middle of nowhere. Most people have been randomly assigned to the larger lots, ike Disney, Warner Brothers, etc. But we wanted to be at our own lot, in part so that we could be with the dozens of crew members who are going to lose their jobs because of this, so we could talk to them and explain what this was all about if they wanted to talk. They were all incredibly supportive of us, and it was devastating to see them pack up and go home the other day. They
22:17:36 MichaelSchur: are all fantastic people.
22:17:57 tanster: we saw the group pic on dan beals’ blog. it was sad to see
22:18:03 JenCelotta: yes! but, wait, are you a studio mogul trying to lure me into a trap?… then, no.
22:18:08 Jim Mosby: (Jen, he needs ALLLLL of the help he can get. Please help him ;) )
22:18:16 JenCelotta: sure thing.
22:18:22 MichaelSchur: Yes. Extremely sad.
22:18:23 Jim Mosby: I hate to be the negative one here but here is a question. If you don’t resume shooting until when you would be starting, say, for next season, what is the game plan script/plot wise?
22:18:54 JenCelotta: domzor is going to miss out on mike’s answer.
22:19:05 tanster: i know!
22:19:20 domzor: im here im here!
22:19:21 MichaelSchur: We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Hopefully it won’t come to that. The last new episode we have is a pretty good cliffhanger on some plotlines…
22:19:28 MichaelSchur: Hi domzor
22:19:35 MichaelSchur: Hi saraadx3
22:19:35 JenCelotta: welcome back, domzor!
22:19:43 MichaelSchur: I am domzor
22:19:46 MichaelSchur: I will destroy you
22:19:53 JenCelotta: I am saraadx3
22:20:05 domzor: hey mike, i hadnt typed anything in a while cuz i was just watching
22:20:15 MichaelSchur: No problem, Domzor. I understand
22:20:28 MichaelSchur: You are a futuristic robot sent to earth to monitor chats
22:20:29 Rayne: *question* What is up Michael Eisner’s ass?
22:20:32 MichaelSchur: I get t
22:20:35 tanster: oh goodness
22:20:43 tanster: how did i let that one slip through
22:20:50 MichaelSchur: I know! What a jerk.
22:21:33 MichaelSchur: FOr those of you who don’t know, Eisner called the strike “stupid” and said that the studios had “nothing to give” writers. he implied that there is just no money lying around to pay the people who write and act in their shows.
22:21:51 MichaelSchur: He has probably made around a billion dollars or so, personally, running a studio
22:21:55 tanster: wow
22:22:01 JenCelotta: I should probably find Eisner’s address for all of you, too.
22:22:11 MichaelSchur: When he fired Mike Ovitz, Ovitz received a $190 million dollar buy-out
22:22:15 mg714: You might not know the answer to this one, but do you know how the strike is affecting movie productions?
22:22:40 Denise (ddker): That would be *awesome* Jen
22:22:45 Angelica: oh yes, Jen. that would be sweet!
22:23:11 MichaelSchur: The current studio heads, like Jeff Zucker and Les Moonves and Peter Chernin, make between $20 million and $50 million…per year.
22:23:36 Parker: Jen, Grief Counseling was my favorite episode. The writers rock!
22:23:56 Lara: Yes!! I will send Eisner the letters with my Disney stamps on them!
22:24:12 JenCelotta: Well, movie scripts take a lot longer to shoot, and they have a backlog — the studios have been planning for this for a while, so I don’t think it will hit the feature business for a bit — but some movies were definitely affected — they need writers to do last minute punch ups and they are hurting, too.
22:24:22 officelover: this is like the Great Depression of TV
22:24:27 MichaelSchur: Parker — pretend I am Jen: Thanks Parker! I love you and want to kiss you on the mouth! You’re my boyfriend! (If you’re a boy.)
22:24:32 JenCelotta: Thanks, Parker!
22:24:41 ChillisBannedMe: I’ve just finished my letters for Universal and NBC… for today. :) Besides writing many many sternly worded letters is there anything else we fans can do?
22:24:48 JenCelotta: Parker, that was Mike.
22:24:51 Denise (ddker): (Parker is a girl)
22:25:04 Angelica: Awww..Parker is always mistaken for a boy.
22:25:07 Parker: Micheal, I’m a girl and I’m so flattered. I love COusin Mose too. I saw you on youtube.
22:25:30 JenCelotta: Cousin mose got a lot of attention in Scranton. it was adorable and fun to watch!
22:25:36 Elisabeth: I will burn Eisner to the ground
22:25:53 JenCelotta: oopsies, remember what we said about burning things to the ground…\
22:25:54 tanster: Mose was surrounded like a ROCK STAR
22:26:03 domzor: Cousin Mose is a savage, thats all there is to it
22:26:06 MichaelSchur: Chilis: all we can ask is that you stay informed. Read blogs, watch videos, learn about the real issues here. Then spread the word, and write about them on your own blogs and message boards and in chatrooms. The blogosphere is proving to be a very effective weapon against the conglomerate-controlled media, who aren’t interested in reporting anything from the writers’ POV.
22:26:36 Angelica: stupid media
22:26:54 Parker: I’m mistaken, Michael Wrote Grief Counseling
22:27:07 MichaelSchur: No, that was Jen.
22:27:14 MichaelSchur: I’m in Red Now!!!!
22:27:32 Parker: They are even funny in the chat room
22:27:36 MichaelSchur: We’ll type in red so you can all read answers more clearly.
22:27:41 tanster: they never run out of funny
22:27:50 tanster: they’re trained professionals
22:27:53 JenCelotta: Red for me, too.
22:27:55 MichaelSchur: Damn you Jim mosby!!!!
22:28:03 MichaelSchur: Oh. You’re back.
22:28:12 saraadx3: mike - i’m spreadin the word on facebook .. the link to the youngins (:
22:28:15 JenCelotta: Red is the color of the wga tshirts that we wear on the picket lines.
22:28:25 [Action] Jim Mosby: is still standing beside the writers. He dissapeared into a chat black hole
22:28:36 Lara: Boycotting the online videos has been suggested, but others have countered that by saying that this would only reinforce the studios’ idea that new media is (in Jon Stewart’s words) “too new.” What do you think about a boycott on websites and online media?
22:28:36 JenCelotta: God speed.
22:28:38 MichaelSchur: Thanks saraadx3!
22:28:57 MichaelSchur: Excellent question.
22:29:57 MichaelSchur: We are trying to figure that out too. If we come up with an official position, we will let you all know. For now, we just suggest you send actual letters to studio heads. Inundate them with letters, my friends!
22:30:10 MichaelSchur: Bags of mail are annoying for people to sort through.