AND THEY JUST LOST TWO OF THEIR MAIN CAST MEMBERS OUT OF THE
FOUR.
THE TWO ASIAN AMERICANS YOU WILL RECOGNIZE FROM BATTLE
STAR GALACTICA AND LOST.
THEY WANTED TO GET PAID AS MUCH AS
THE OTHER STARS, AND THAT ALL FELL APART.
SO THEY WILL NOT BE
BACK THIS NEXT SEASON WHICH GUESS WHAT SEASON IT IS?
>> I WOULD'VE NEVER GUESSED IT RIGHT.
I SAW IT IN THE ARTICLE.
I WOULD'VE GUESSED TWO OR MAYBE THREE.
IT TURNS OUT-
>> THIS WILL BE IT'S EIGHTH SEASON.
>> IT HAS BEEN ON FOR SEVEN SEASONS?
THAT MIGHT BE LONGER
THAN THE ORIGINAL.
>>I DON'T WATCH THE SHOW ñ THE REASON WHY I KNOW IT IS BECAUSE
OF JANE AND BATTLE STAR GALACTICA GIRL.
>> YEAH, HE WAS
VERY GRACIOUS.
HE THANKED A COUPLE OF THE
EXECUTIVES AT CBS BY NAME.
GIVEN WHAT HAPPENED THAT IS
SURPRISING.
BLESS HIS HEART FOR BEING GRACIOUS.
WHAT WAS THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO SETS?
THE WHITE ACTORS GOT 2% MORE.
CBS SAYS THEY OFFERED THEM A LUCRATIVE CONTRACT, NOT THE SAME
AS THE WHITE ACTORS.
YOU THINK THEY ARE GOING TO WAR OVER 2%?
NO.
ON PRINCIPLE I'M I SUPPOSE YOU COULD.
WHITE ACTORS GET
POINTS WHICH MEANS THEY CAN GET A PERCENTAGE OF THE SHOWS
REVENUE IN THE FUTURE.
THEY WENT OVER 100 EPISODES WHICH MEANS
THEY CAN GO INTO SYNDICATION AND GET A TON OF MONEY IN RERUNS.
BUT THE ASIAN ACTORS WILL NOT BE GETTING THEM.
IF YOU SAID THEY
HAPPEN TO BE ASIAN, AND THOSE GUYS HAPPEN TO BE WHITE, AND THE
WHITE GUYS ARE MORE FAMOUS.
I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU.
JUST
BECAUSE THEY ARE ASIAN DOESN'T MEAN THEY GET TO BE AS FAMOUS AS
THE OTHER GUYS, RIGHT?
BUT IN THIS CASE THAT IS NOT TRUE, THE
ASIAN ACTORS ARE MORE FAMOUS THAN THE WHITE ACTORS.
>> WHEN I DESCRIBED THESE PEOPLE I SAY BATTLE STAR GALACTICA
GIRL, THE GUY FROM THAT MOVIE WITH JAY LENO, AND THEN JIN.
I
ONLY NAME ONE PERSON BY THE ACTUAL CHARACTER, I KNOW HIM THE
BEST.
HE SHOULD BE THE ONE MAKING ALL THE MONEY.
BUT THEY
SAY IT IS A TRUE ENSEMBLE CAST.
THE BEST PART ABOUT THE
STATEMENT ñ THIS IS FROM PETER LENKOV, THE EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER/SHOWRUNNER.
>>THEY SHOULD GET CREDIT FOR HAVING AN ENSEMBLE CAST.
YOU
KNOW PAY
THEM THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY.
I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF
DIFFERENT FACTORS, AND YOU CAN DISAGREE ON WHO IS MORE
FAMOUS, BUT THESE GUYS ARE AT WORST AT THE SAME LEVEL, SO
IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE TO PAY THEM THE SAME AMOUNT.
>>ALL
THE PEOPLE ON FRIENDS WENT TO BAT TOGETHER AND SAID LISTEN
WE WANT TO GET PAID THE SAME BECAUSE WE ARE EQUAL BILLING.
AND THEY GOT IT.