Harlan Ellison & TLTCNBN Go Postal

The LIST THAT CAN NOT BE NAMED brought several interesting pieces of news in the early am today:

first – that Harlan Ellison is once again suing someone – this time Paramount AND the Writers Guild of America.

Harlan wants Paramount to cough up the 25% Ellison is owed for the studio’s crass commercialization of his City on the Edge of Forever storyline/episode.? That was the agreed-upon percentage the WGA negotiated with the studio back in 1960.? And Ellison wants every single penny he is entitled to.

Perhaps more importantly, he wants Paramount to open their books – a dire threat, since it is better than even money that they’ve ignored a lot of other requests for follow-on dollars from other writers as well.

Ellison only wants a buck from the WGA:? he’s more interested in forcing them to start standing up for their members, something he obviously does not think they have been doing – at least on his behalf.

This suit seems to be far more about enforcing a contractual agreement than it does about copyfight.? If you say you’re going to give someone a piece of the pie, it doesn’t matter whether they’re obligated because of ‘rights’ or not – they should just live up to their side of the bargain.

Besides, I’m just as curious as the next guy to see how much money Paramount actually made from licensing COTEOF to Hallmark for greeting cards and tree ornaments.

(I’d also like to know if WSFS is going to point out to Mr.? Carmichael (Ellison’s attorney) that they need to stick the ‘R’ next to ‘HUGO AWARD’ in Ellison’s missive that you can read here.)

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The LIST THAT CAN NOT BE NAMED has its own little rants going on right now – first over SchifeToobe’s name change to the SYFYlis channel (a better pun on the name than my own) – most of it centered on whether the channel has any worthwhile programming or not, regardless of what it is called.

I vote for NOT.? BSG has turned into some kind of teenaged emotional crisis of the week and had gotten confused, overwrought and pointless.? Eureka just never caught my attention and as someone said ‘it’s actually anti-intellectualism in disguise’. The Stargate franchise is just that – 4 billion burgers sold.

Pointedly, there were very few, if any, posters coming to the channel’s defense.? In fact I can count them on one hand with my fist closed.

I am also happy to note that Michael Hinman over at AirlockAlpha (formerly SyFyPortal) DID get at least 31 pieces of silver for the sale of his name.? Now he’s trying to get everyone to acknowledge that A: he came up with the name first and B: did it for a lot less than the branding company SciFi hired to come up with it.

I think he ought to take a page from Ellison’s book and sue them for misrepresenting the purchase: it was made by a third party owned by the parent corp.

The other tempest over at TLTCNBN is over the impending 2nd vote to get rid of the ‘Semi-Prozine’ Hugo award category.? The change was voted in last year and needs to be ratified this year in order to pass.

As usual (and not by way of diminishment) Kevin Standlee points out that if ‘MORE PEOPLE WOULD ATTEND THE BUSINESS MEETING’ – etc., etc., you’re already not listening anymore…

Anyway. Seems the people at Locus are a bit disappointed to be losing the category that some have referred to as the ‘Locus Hugo’ (speaking of ‘franchises’…)? and have begun to mobilize the troops so as to have a positive (for Locus) effect on the WSFS business meeting at Anticipation.

Many Hidden Experts of? Enthusiasm are now thrashing through the language, the intent, the history and the business of the ‘Semi-Prozine’ Hugo Award(R) category, either to justify or injustify Locus’ claim to an award.

Me, I’m just wishing for the return of Richard Geis and the Alien Critic.? Things were a lot more interesting with it was Brown vs Geis and Alien Critic vs Locus every year.

Someone did point out the basic nature of Locus as a ‘trade journal’ – which in many respects I think is absolutely true. Maybe a category for non-fiction, non-fanzine magazines would fit the current situation better.

What has only been discussed tangentially is the ‘less than 10,000 subscribers’ clause.? Does the language in there refer to only PRINT subscribers?? I ‘SUBSCRIBE’ to their RSS feed.? Does that count?? Does that exceed 10k?

Maybe a special award for Locus and Charlie would take care of the whole thing.