Worker-writers settle reality TV lawsuits
div xmlns=http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtmlpa href=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pics/uncategorized/2009/01/21/bachelor_spouses_jg970gnc_j7d0senc.jpgimg class=image-full title=Bachelor_spouses_jg970gnc_j7d0senc alt=Bachelor_spouses_jg970gnc_j7d0senc src=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pics/uncategorized/2009/01/21/bachelor_spouses_jg970gnc_j7d0senc.jpg border=0 //a /p pTwo high-profile class-action lawsuits alleging that networks and production companies denied overtime payments to story producers and others have been settled for more than $4 milllion./p pThe lawsuits, which were filed in 2005 with the backing of the Writers Guild of America, West, alleged that TV production companies and networks violated California wage and hour laws by, among other things, denying overtime pay and meal breaks to more than 20 workers on such as reality shows as quot;The Bachelorquot; and quot;Trading Spouses.quot;nbsp; /p pUnder the settlements, which have been preliminarily approved by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, Fox Broadcasting and Rocket Science Laboratories agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle the claims, while ABC, CBS and various other defendants agreed to pay $1.545 milion./p pAbout 400 workers are eligible to file claims for payment, said Emma Leheny, lead counsel for the workers./p pquot;This is a paycheck that's long overdue for employees who worked tirelessly on reality shows -- many of which are massively successful -- only to be shut out of basic protections like overtime pay.quot;/p pA spokesman for the Writers Guild of America, West, which helped workers file the lawsuits and publicized their plight as part of a campaign to organize writers in the reality genre, declined to comment, citing the conditions of settlements./p pAttorney Jeffrey Richardson, who represented the production companies and networks, couldn't be reached for comment./p p-- Richard Verrier/p pemPhotos: ABC Television quot;quot;The Bachelorquot;) | Fox Broadcasting (quot;Trading Spousesquot;)/em/p/div
The 'Lost' season premiere: Timeless
The post below discusses Wednesday's two-hour Season 5 premiere of ?Lost.? There?s some new information from executive producer Damon Lindelof about things that occurred in the season premiere, the complete versions of answers to some questions I had to trim from this recent interview with Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse, and some thoughts of my own about the episode. It?s probably ideal if you?ve seen the two season premiere episodes that aired Wednesday, ?Because You Left? and ?The Lie,? before proceeding. Before we get down to business, here's a link to the funniest "Lost" recap ever at the...
Grateful Dead tunes make a long, strange trip to Bay Area symphony hall
There's new life for the Grateful Dead: in the concert hall. The 'Dead Symphony,' an orchestral reinvention of tunes by the trippiest band of the '60s, is about to have its first West Coast performances. And Carolyn Garcia '” Jerry Garcia's widow, better known as Mountain Girl to Deadheads '” offers this warning: 'It's not rock 'n' roll.'
Insulting European Art Show Was A Hoax
The installation was supposedly conceived by artists from each of the European Union's 27 member says, but in fact it was created by a single prankster, David Cerny. Bulgaria was represented as a series of hole-in-the-floor toilets and Italy was represented as a soccer field with soccer players engaged in questionable public behavior.