Dennis Jacobs, a 2007 Syracuse grad and aspiring producer in Los Angeles, gives some insight on what’s going on in Tinseltown.

Daily Orange: How will the writers’ strike affect this year’s graduating class from Syracuse?

Dennis Jacobs: They’re kind of lucky actually. I say that right now assuming the strike ends by July. If it goes by July, I’m gonna move. It’ll be the longest strike in entertainment history. Nobody sees it going that long. A lot of people have found different jobs since the strike has started. There are a lot of things people have done. When the strike ends some people will go back to jobs they had before. But the bottom line is there will be a lot of work for people to get. Kids coming up next year and year after that…it’ll be a bottleneck effect. They’ll be a lot of work opportunity to get (for next year’s graduates).

DO: What’s your best celebrity encounter since moving to Los Angeles?

DJ: I had to deliver a script for Richard Kind. He was on ‘Spin City.’ He was guest starring on one of our episodes. When I got there, his house was really, really big. I knew Richard Kind has been around for awhile, but I wasn’t expecting this big house…I ring the doorbell nobody answers. There were a bunch of construction crews doing work on the house. Redoing everything – full bar, the backyard is huge, overlooking some gorgeous houses…(I call up my boss and ask) where does he want me to leave the script? He calls me back and he’s kind of laughing. It’s not Richard Kind’s house. It’s George Clooney’s. (Kind’s) house-sitting.

DO: What will happen to the scripted shows that have been affected by the strike?

Jacobs said from what he’s heard, a number of shows will see the effects of the strike long after it’s ended.

?If the strike does not end within the next couple months, popular shows like ‘The Office’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ might wait until the fall before debuting episodes – opposed to filming a couple episodes and halting the season during the summer.

?Some shows in their first or second season that have been receiving respectable ratings might not return for another season. If a pilot comes along in the summer that might do better in that time slot, network execs could scrap the original show despite decent viewership. Also, networks will have to figure out what to do with programs that received spectacular ratings, but faced no genuine competition, such as FOX’s ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.’

?The rumor currently is the Academy has five or six backup plans if the Oscars are picketed by the Writer’s Guild. No matter what plan, they end up deciding on it’ll still be disastrous financially for the Hollywood region. With stars unwilling to cross picket lines, the award show will lose millions of dollars. Therefore, the deadline both sides are hoping to receive a deal by is in the week leading up to the Academy Awards. Plus, this year’s Oscars is an important one – it’s the 18th anniversary of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award.

–Matt Levin, feature editor

[email protected]

Published on February 4, 2008 at 12:00 pm