美国国家公共电台 NPR--Because of writers strike, MTV Movie & TV Awards was a different show than planned

Because of writers strike, MTV Movie & TV Awards was a different show than planned

Transcript¹

Drew Barrymore dropped out of hosting the program live after Hollywood writers went on strike. Almost a week in, how has the strike affected² what the viewing public sees on TV?

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Viewers of the MTV Movie & TV Awards saw a very different show last night than what was originally planned. That's thanks to the Hollywood writers strike. Drew Barrymore dropped out of hosting the program live, expressing solidarity³ with striking writers. She did appear in skits⁴ that had already been taped. But TV critic Eric Deggans, who joins us now, says what happened with the award show is something of an anomaly. Eric, good morning.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE⁵: Good morning.

MARTIN: So the Writers Guild⁶ strike started nearly a week ago, halting work by union writers on film, TV and streaming projects. How is that affecting what viewers are seeing on TV?

DEGGANS: Well, I'm not sure that viewers are going to see much effect right now because the work stoppage hasn't yet really significantly affected the TV shows they can see. Now, some areas of the TV business have been affected right away. "Saturday Night Live" went dark. They canceled an episode a couple days ago that was supposed to feature Pete Davidson returning as guest host. Nightly talk shows like Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" have also stopped production. And, of course, we saw MTV pivot⁷ to a pre-taped Movie & TV Awards show filled with clips.

But the broadcast TV networks wind down their seasons by mid-May, so most of those series have already finished their episodes. Streaming services work up to a year in advance, so they have a lot of content in their pipelines⁸. It might take a while for viewers to really notice a lack of new episodes of programs, which also means the strike may have to last a while before public sentiment really pushes both of these sides to consider a compromise.

MARTIN: Do we have a sense of what's been going on behind the scenes in this first week of the walkout?

DEGGANS: Well, both sides already seem to be fighting for the allegiance of the public. There's this growing sense that the strike could last for a long time. So among the writers, they're using picket⁹ lines to make sure their strike is visible and to try and limit productions by encouraging other people not to cross their lines, even if scripts are done. So reportedly, Apple TV+'s series "Loot" and Netflix's "Stranger Things" have paused production. On the other side, a representative for the studios released a detailed¹⁰ statement on Thursday, pushing back against some of the claims that were made by the writers, insisting that their proposals would compensate¹¹ them much more than the union is willing to admit.

MARTIN: So the last strike by the Writers Guild, or the WGA, was 15 years ago. It lasted a hundred days. I know that we're less than a week into this one, but are you noticing differences between those two strikes so far?

DEGGANS: Yeah. You know, one difference I'm hearing from the writers that I've talked to is that the level of support they're getting from other unions is pretty remarkable¹², especially groups like the Actors Guild and the Teamsters and the Directors Guild, which will start their own negotiations¹³ with the studios soon. There's a sense that the writers are fighting changes that are largely brought on by the streaming business, which has depressed¹⁴ their wages, and other unions know they're going to have to fight over similar issues in their new contracts as well.

Now, another big change is the influence of social media. When well-known actors join a picket line, you see that image in minutes. Picketers can organize. The writers can make passionate¹⁵ cases for why they're on strike, hearing personal stories to keep the issue in the news. The two biggest challenges they have is making sure the industry feels the pain from their work stoppage, and they need to keep up the members' morale¹⁶ as the strike moves from this energizing¹⁷ first phase to a more sustained slog.

MARTIN: That is NPR TV critic Eric Deggans. Eric, thank you.

DEGGANS: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

4 skits   

n.讽刺文( skit的名词复数 )；小喜剧；若干；一群

参考例句：

• One of these skits, "The King of Beasts" resembles a traditional frontier prank. 一出滑稽短剧《兽王》酷似传统的边疆闹剧。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
• Kids can develop ad campaigns, commercials and skits to illustrate character traits. 孩子们会发动宣传运动，制作广告宣传片和幽默短剧来说明性格品质。 来自互联网

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

7 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

8 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

9 picket   

n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫

参考例句：

• They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
• Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。

10 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

11 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

12 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

13 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

14 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

15 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

16 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

17 energizing   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的现在分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• a refreshing and energizing fruit drink 提神并增加体能的果汁饮料
• The time required after energizing a device, before its rated output characteristics begin to apply. 从设备通电到它开始提供额定输出特性之间所需的时间。 来自辞典例句