Advantage East

In the ongoing feud between the two Writers Guild of America spheres, score one for the New Yorkers. Walter Bernstein, who sits on the WGA-East council, got a piece onto Monday's L.A. Times op-ed page.

The West accuses us of shiftiness and low cunning.

We think they're trying to grab our dues and poach our membership. We also fear their leadership is too conciliatory to the companies, too afraid of their power and predatory nature, too fearful of being seen as the bad guys of the industry. They underestimate the cowardice and cupidity of large corporations, let alone their greed. Still, we have worked well together on credit and residual matters, among others, and when it came time in the past to take on the studios and networks and negotiate a contract, we were usually together.

Now, sadly, the tension seems to have escalated into a war brought on, we feel, by the West.

His bottom line: the writers lose.

Speaking of op-eds: Susan Estrich, as we all know now, covets the space. The Los Angeles Business Journal is always trying to fill its page. It's a match in this week's issue (though the piece doesn't seem to be online.)