This Writer Wrote

 

No photos today. Not because my camera is on the fritz or I forgot to buy batteries. But because I only have two hands and even so, it’s hard to juggle a picket sign and an umbrella, let alone anything else. But there I was, outside in the rain at NBC Burbank, walking back and forth in the rain, showing solidarity with other writers. It could have been worse – it could have been snow, if say, I were in New York.

But juggling isn’t the only problem I encountered. If the umbrella covered my head, then the sign jutted out at an angle and made it difficult for people to get around me. And if I tried to hold the sign upright, then the umbrella angled off and I got wet and still whacked people. Also, it made it difficult to talk to anybody on the line if you were a living danger of smacking him or her.

And I wanted to talk to people. Despite being wet, everybody was very upbeat. I managed to talk to some sitcom writers from Two and a Half Men.

 

Some kind soul brought hot coffee, and I gratefully went over to get some. As I stared at the pot, the awful truth struck me… I had no free hand to hold the cup, with one around the sign and the other on the umbrella. So I mournfully said goodbye to the caffeine lift and told myself it was better for my health that way.

Soon though, I gave up on the umbrella, and elected to just get wet – while Jay Leno sat warm and toasty and dry in his offices. Let’s hope that my next post isn’t reporting a raging cold.

 

My friend and colleague, STEVEN L. SEARS, (Xena: Warrior Princess, Sheena, Riptide), had the right idea. He had a 6×6 miniature strike sign sticking out of the band on his hat, miniature signs he said he made a bunch of for children’s day. If any of you have seen Steve, he’s almost never without his signature hat, and having the sign on the hat gives him two free hands… to take loads of photos. I should have taken a photo of him so you could see what I mean. Oh, darn, right, no free hands. Anyway, Steve takes great photos. And he’s taken many on the different strike lines he’s been on. I urge you to visit his website: http://www.pondalee.com/

Not only can you see his hat and his nifty photos, but also you can gain wisdom on the strike from a truly gifted writer, such as:

“Unfortunately, as of November 5, 2007, The Writers Guild of America has gone on strike.

The reasons are complicated in form, but simple to understand. Writers (and the other Guilds) are seeking fair contracts. The AMPTP (representing studios and networks) are seeking profits.

“Fair” and “Profit” don’t have to conflict except when the latter comes at the expense of the former.

So we strike.”

Simplistic answer, but so true. A gifted writer who knows how to pitch stories for episodes knows how to boil it all down to the nitty gritty. Or what we in the business call the ‘logline.’

And for those of you supporting the writers, he has a link where fans can download their own little placards (for their websites, dashboards of cars, windows or even desks if you are daring). That way, you can show your support for your favorite shows or writers.

Now Steve didn’t create these… a wonderfully talented Whedonesque.com fan, lexigeek, did. Perhaps you guys are already ahead of me and already know all about them, but I was delighted to see signs made up for almost every show there are fans of, including some of my favorite shows that are no longer on the air, like Sports Night, West Wing, Xena and Buffy. I could take issue with her for not including Hercules, but what the hey…

The important thing is that I’m sure you all can find some of your favorite show and writer placards among them to display.

Let me know which ones you choose to download. I’d love to know which shows have the most fans supporting those who write the shows they love.

I may even download some myself.

I spoke to one of the strike captains about how angry people are with the concept of giving Leno a pass for being a scab. He said that he’s been hearing that from a lot of picketers. He assured me they were not giving Leno a pass, that Leno understands he did wrong (apparently he’s been on the phone at least a couple of times today alone) and that the Guild will take appropriate measures against him. The strike captain also told me that NBC wants this to turn into a war and that the WGA doesn’t want to engage in war because that would only distract from the real business at hand.

I can understand how detrimental such a distraction would be. It’s like spinning one’s wheels with the shills who have popped up all over the Internet, trashing the writers, the WGA and individual supporters. If you play their game, you waste your time on people who aren’t going to change their povs because they don’t really believe in those povs anyway, they are only spouting them to waste your time and keep you from engaging in the important stuff. So it’s best to leave it in the hands of those with the knowledge of what’s going on and what needs to be done.

And as I leave you here, it is still pouring down rain. The streets are flooded and I hear there are traffic accidents everywhere. But it’s something to be happy about, because we were already on water rationing in places, afraid we were heading back into another drought.

Post script:  In my inbox was an email from Care2.  If you aren’t familiar with them, they sponsor petitions for various worthy causes, like saving whales, wolves, etc.  And they have a great line of free e-cards to send.  Anyway, they have set up a petition to send to the moguls in support of the striking writers.  So if you are interested in signing it, here is the link:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/180755144?z00m=12499986

I have and I didn’t have to get wet to do it.

By the way, for Xena fans who live local,  Steve told me there’s going to be a Xena fan day on the picket line on January 24th at Disney.  More information as it becomes available.  But it will be a way to meet the writers and some of the actors… whoever is available to show up.