Merrill Barr
@MerrillBarr
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📝 Wordsmith & Entertainment Enthusiast 📺 | Disabled but Unstoppable 💪
Los Angeles
Joined January 2009
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Elizabeth Warren has never asked a bartender “what whiskeys do you have?” She’s already checked the shelf.
Elizabeth Warren always knows exactly what she wants when she gets to the front of the Starbucks line and never holds everyone else up.
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The internet bylaws are clear. When the Tom Holland Umbrella video appears in your feed, you must RT it.
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HBO Max kills Minx in late-stage S2 production, Netflix kills an animated series mid-production, how is this a thing all of a sudden. Not renewing and killing in development sucks but is a regular practice. Killing IN production/post is just a level of money burn I can't fathom.
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For those that know, this remains the funniest shit ever.
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Go with me on this: Professor X
Giancarlo Esposito has teased that he would love to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that it would likely be the next step in his career.
(Source: )
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You guys understand the big problem with the Lord of the Rings show costing $1 billion, right? It can’t just be good. It has to be a SMASH. Like it has to be bigger than Thrones. Bigger than Breaking Bad. It has to be a cultural phenomenon and you can’t manufacture that.
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Why I support the WGA despite never being a member:
In 2008, I was hired as an unpaid intern at Paramount (then Viacom) in MTV’s Home Video Dept in NYC.
They abused the position and assigned tasks that should have been wage work. The things asked of me should not have been.
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Can we PLEASE educate people on filmmaking if these are the takes coming out? KOTFM may have cost $200m but it wasn’t SHOT for $200m. Most of that came out of the cost plus model streaming adopted where everyone is getting their back ends up front.
Apple's KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON has grossed $67M domestic, $89M overseas and $156M worldwide on a $200M budget.
The reality is, Scorsese films can't justifiably be greenlighted by traditional studios with price tags of this nature.
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2008 really changed so much of our Hollywood cinema landscape in retrospect:
- Cloverfield (evolution of found footage)
- Iron Man (rise of the MCU)
- Dark Knight (yes, superhero films can be Oscar worthy)
- Slumdog Millionaire (digital cinematography wins)
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Dude, it’s midnight. Eat a starburst and go to bed.
In certain swing states, there were more votes than people who voted, and in big numbers. Does that not really matter? Stopping Poll Watchers, voting for unsuspecting people, fake ballots and so much more. Such egregious conduct. We will win!
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I don’t know how to stress HOW HARD you gotta piss off ALL of Hollywood’s labor force to make this happen.
#WGA
meeting at the Shrine: DGA, SAG, IATSE, Teamsters, Laborers and other unions are in the house with us.
This is HISTORIC, y’all.
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Jesus fucking Christ. What the fuck, California?
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I’ve worked for two known streaming apps now. When it comes to the presentation of the “consumer facing” side (what you see on the actual app), every detail is toiled over before release. This response is bullshit. What they “didn’t know” was that accreditation is iron clad.
Max Credits SNAFU Could Take Weeks To Fix; Execs Didn’t Know About New “Creators” Label Until After Launch
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Has Daniel Radcliffe done enough supporting and off-beat work at this point to be granted a new tentpole blockbuster franchise to lead? Because it’s time.
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Heard multiple times this past week and over the weekend that the guild really needs people at Universal. I know everyone wants to have a party at Netflix but Universal is MASSIVE. It stretches across multiple towns with multiple gates. Please consider going there this week.
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I just realized that Brett Goldstein, the very good looking guy who plays Roy Kent on Ted Lasso, is also a writer on Ted Lasso and I am here to say that is just not fair. Writers are not supposed to be that jacked.
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This video is the “Tom Holland on Lip Sync Battle” of the strike. When you see it, it must be shared. Internet law 67, sub section A.
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@brendengallager
Shoot it on an iPhone all you want. Not a problem. Now capturing and mixing audio, editing and color grading footage and distributing on the other hand…
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There a very niche Supernatural nod in an upcoming episode of The Boys and all I have to say is thank you
@therealKripke
.
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Simply, I am pissed. the. fuck. off. And I am not alone.
These corporation have been systematically fucking over not just guild writers but assistants. Support staff. Office workers. Interns. And I have had the experience of…
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All this to say that, for me, my motivations for standing with the WGA go far beyond fighting for my dream of creating and showrunning television.
I have been systematically kicked in the teeth by these studios for fifteen fucking years and I want to kick back.
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Full review of Morning Show will be out on Friday but basically, here’s my take, it’s fine. But it’s $15 million/epsoode budget makes it bad becuase at that level you don’t have the excuse of being constrained by limitation. It should have been a $5 million show with semi-knowns.
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"Season to date, Whiskey Cavalier is averaging a 1.2 adults 18-49 and 6.6 million viewers (most current)"
An internally produced show would get three seasons based on those numbers.
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This happened right after that Paramount announcement went out. No one is buying it.
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They were sued two years later in a class action over that work and I got a random check for $600 in the mail one day (a fraction of what I was owed).
—
In 2018, I was hired as the Post PA for the Suits spin-off Pearson for whatever LA minimum wage was at that time on 50hr weeks.
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Okay, I’m broken. Crying now.
So Denzel once paid Chadwick Boseman's Tuition. This speech is very moving, Denzel was emotional
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Fucking FINALLY! Been sitting on this news for MONTHS.
MONTHS OF EMAILING
@jonrog1
AND
@ChrDowney
FOR ALL THE DETAILS!
‘Leverage’ Reboot Starring Noah Wyle Ordered By IMDb TV; Timothy Hutton Out – Deadline
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As we enter staffing season, I want to make you aware the person writing this tweet is a disabled, one hour writer with drama room experience, highly recommended samples and references waiting for his first staff job. Unrepped too. You can be the one that found the gem!
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…the final season Blu-Ray and didn’t tell anyone about it. Never saw another dime.
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In 2020 I was hired as the Writers PA for Warrior Nun S2.
Netflix paid me $15hr (LA minimum wage) and didn’t guarantee 60hrs. A month in, our Script Coordinator realized I wasn’t putting down…
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…watching it happen from a show level as well as a broad corporate level and guess what? It ain’t any better inside the 47th floor of 1515 Broadway than it is in the writers room. These fuckers have been grinding us to the bone since the LAST union action and everyone got beef.
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I’m tired. So are a lot of others. This is not just about writers. They just happen to be first through the door. This is about an entire industry that has been eating itself in the chase of… honestly, no one knows. And EVERYONE has been taking hits in the process.
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UCP (Universal) did not offer any health insurance and I had to buy my own.
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Earlier in 2018 Universal paid me a whopping $400 (originally told $0) to produce, co-host and edit the after show podcast for 12 Monkeys’ final season they apparently liked so much they threw it on…
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I’m supporting the strike not just for a future but also to stand up for the me that put himself through a financial hell that should have been considered unacceptable all for a dream they have been eroding since I started.
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For anyone wondering how I could have been unpaid at MTV:
The ol’ “college credit” scam.
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…60hrs and had me start doing that. Netflix never said shit or cared and effectively got to keep $900 of pay from me I didn’t know I was entitled to.
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In 2021, I was hired to work the VOD programming vertical of Pluto TV (great team over there BTW). Pluto is owned by Paramount.
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I have never been offered an opportunity to interview for a staff writer position.
I have never been repped.
The one project that’s gained any traction is a thing I’ve had to fight for and package piece by piece up through the announcement that went out in April.
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Jericho has talked a lot about the fact that he just came up at the wrong moment. He was starring in the age of Rock & Austin. His face was on all the cups and towels right along with them but he couldn’t surpass that insane level of A-lister. This is all long overdue.
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Anyway, these end at the beginning of September for a lot of people and it’s gonna be baaad. Looking forward to not being able to pay my rent after this month!
States that cut off $300/week unemployment checks didn't get people back to work but did see a 20% decline in spending, costing them $2 billion.
Sort of like the opposite of a stimulus
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Jensen Ackles
Dream Batman casting? No restrictions. Pick literally anyone.
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…brought in fulltime but Paramount refused as they were in a hiring freeze (hence why it was a contractor position).
I was forced to seek employment elsewhere as I could not afford to pay my bills and needed real health insurance for my various medical needs and disability.
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This happening for Netflix is one thing. This happening from NBCU is shots fired at Disney.
BOOM!
@SethMacFarlane
is leaving his longtime home at 20th TV for a five-year, $200M overall deal with NBCUniversal and will create new projects for all platforms
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I was paid $20hr on a Robert Half 6 month to full time contract with no health insurance.
In my 10 months there, the VOD team of two (me and another), consistently rose VOD viewership month over month.
At the end of the 6 months, the Pluto team fought to have me…
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So this week's
#AgentsofSHIELD
is going to go down as one of the ballsiest pieces of storytelling in MCU history.
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In fact, I think semi-knowns would have elevated the material in a way that would make the show really great.
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@Massawyrm
He looks like the dude from Dexter in the second picture. I hope he delivers every plate while saying “surprise motherfucker.”
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This was always the obvious choice. FX is the most adult oriented brand Disney now owns and Hulu can easily become their TV version of what Fox will be in film: the new Hollywood Pictured/Touchstone.
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cements Its Right to Exist in Season 2 Finale via
@Forbes
@ClarkGregg
@mingna
@AgentsofSHIELD
http://t.co/kNtBQO3nE7
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The episode had a writer too.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER (2021)
Cinematography by P.J. Dillon
Directed by Kari Skogland
From "The Whole World is Watching"
Read a deep dive into this episode:
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Holy shit.
Legendary Lands Rights to Bert Kreischer’s Viral Story ‘The Machine’ – Variety
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Who's ready for a fresh game of "Hollywood threatens to leave Atlanta"?!
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@Atencio
You forgot to add: written by the guys who wrote the most successful superhero franchise since the launch of the MCU.
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@jonrog1
I have to believe at this point the only reason Ackles isn't a bigger star is because he loves Supernatural too much.
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Us discussing whether or not Tom Cruise should have reprimanded the crew for not following COVID protocols because he did it by yelling at them (without harassing them) is exactly why we’re losing the mask debate. Kindness left the building during the second wave.
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The Orville is back, on Hulu now, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Weekly releases.
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@MuseZack
No and I would argue it’s given us less opportunities for more great television to thrive. Gonna be really funny in a year and a half when Marvel “invents” the 18-22 episode season with Daredevil.
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P.S. that ten year gap from 2008 to 2018? It was so impossible to land support work early on and entertainment industry journalist opened up only to be eaten up in various ways by these same companies.
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Anyone who believes no one would buy Superman could hide himself with a simple pair of glasses should look at this photo and tell me where Drew Carey is in it.
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If I may plus this:
One of the few “perks” of being a support staffer on a show is the free lunch that’s typically your biggest meal of the day. Bonus points if a writer is out and you get to take home dinner.
Sound fucked up? It is. That’s the glorious world of Hollywood.
I realized today that one of many reasons I show up to picket everyday is food security. They have food for me, food I’ve come to rely on. So when us writers say we’re fighting for our lives, believe us.
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Like, I’ve seen where this leads if the union doesn’t step in. If you want to know how hard they get off on fucking writers, have a chat with some of your favorite industry reporters. They are not okay, folks.
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Give me a
@BingingWBabish
crossover ASAP.
‘Frasier’ Sequel Series Eyed By Paramount+ – Deadline
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…saying I had received another job offer for the same amount of money I would have moved up to and I just wanted the same money.
They still refused. Corporate was happy to just slot another contractor in there they wouldn’t have to pay benefits to.
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I 100% believe the rumors NF is driving the AMPTP strategy at this point. An Oct return to the table not only destroys the network TV fall season but spring as well. We’d be looking at a full year without new scripted programming. CBS/NBC/ABC/Fox are not the ones driving that.
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Most people outside the game don’t know A3 but all you need to know is they basically took over the mid-level scene for writers. Like A LOT of producer level writers were there. This is very bad for the mid-level.
A3 Artists Agency Shutting Down: 'Unable to Continue Operating in a Sustainable Manner'
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Its literally been exactly one month. We spent a whole year not knowing what was in a fucking hatch.
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Another note on the Pluto bit:
Paramount actually rejected the move to full time twice (my co-worker got his riiiight before the freeze was hardcore solidified).
The first time was the end of the 6 months and they just extended me.
The second time was when I walked in…
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The Hunt For The Next ‘Supernatural’ Will Yield The Discovery Of The Next ‘Game Of Thrones’ via
@forbes
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Speaking as a drama writer that dreams of writing and creating one-hour drama:
Multi-cam sitcoms will never not be the most profitable form of television upon show success and it’s weird how much the modern era has thrown the entire genre away.
There's no comedy writing jobs. Comedy writers are being told to write a drama sample. Live comedy spaces are shutting down. This isn't just about The Bear. It's about the extinction of American comedy.
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If WGA goes on strike, scab opportunities wouldn’t be yours to get if you tried, young ones. You’re not who the studios call. They call non-guild pros in Canada (who turn them down). They call non-guild animation pros (who turn them down). They don’t call you.
It’d be weird to see a group go on strike and say, “how can I snake those people’s jobs and how can I take advantage of this situation,” right? But for some reason, non WGA folks are publicly wondering this about a writers strike and think it’s cool?
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Something I was discussing tonight:
Cobra Kai really is the perfect show for audience appeal. It’s a mix and match of every kind of show.
Action Show
Teen Drama
Family Drama
Local Politics Drama
Comedy
Dramedy
The only thing it’s missing, at this point, is time travel.
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“We’re looking at giving Paramount+ shows a run on CBS this fall to expand their audience. One of them won’t surprise you because it used to air on linear.”
- George Cheeks at his Banff keynote right now.
I WASN’T BULLSHITTING WHEN I SAID THEY WOULD PULL THIS SHIT!
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It took 24 hours to think about it, but
@donttrythis
is correct. Proof: breakfast sandwich is a singular roll cut in half and filled, sometimes with hinge left for folding, and we still say sandwich. Hot dog is sandwich.
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“Turned into a hit.”
IT RAN FOR 9 SEASONS!
“Suits,” a series that finished airing on television four years ago, is the hit show of the summer. The renewed interest comes from a variety of factors, including its stars, its episodes and the organic growth it has seen through social media.
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I have been told I can no longer use the image featuring Paltrow in my Chef Show review, but that's okay because that means I get to use the one with
@BingingWBabish
instead.
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“The WGA’s proposal on foreign streaming residuals represents a 200% increase over current rates and treats foreign subscribers the same as domestic subscribers. However, subscription fees vary from country to country…”
That’s a YOU problem, dog.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers struck back today, providing answers to the WGA’s talking points about the failed negotiations that led to the ongoing writers strike, which is now in its third day
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If nothing else, if you’re a writer wondering where your tribe is, take a look through the
#WGAstaffingboost
tag and start following the ones that fit your style. This is how networking works, kids.
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I will pay good money to watch a cartoon adaptation of this where the dolphin is the head of an underwater crime family and the whale is the conflicted adopted child treated like blood but seeks a more honest life.
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@DrewMcWeeny
@Variety
If they aren’t vaulted my guess would be they become part of the slate that can be sold to other streamers and bring in new money to the bottom line, which would again lean into the idea Zas absolutely hates the idea of Max as a concept.
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Happy to report I was just informed that my writers PA job will remain intact as my writers room goes virtual this week. If I could name the show, showrunner and studio I would but they don’t like they but they know who they are and I am grateful.
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