Reported for WGA picket duty today outside Fox at 47th and Sixth Avenue. I’ve never walked a picket line in my life, so circling a half block radius for four straight hours (minus ten minutes when the sainted Margaret Clark, one of my Pocket Book editors across the street, provided bathroom relief for me) was a new experience to put it mildly.
A ton of celebrities such as Robin Williams and Alec Baldwin showed up to express solidarity…on previous days. No one turned out for us today, so that kinda sucked.
At one point a guy with a microphone, identifying himself as being from Sirius Satellite radio, pulled myself and another writer, a distinguished looking older fellow named Michael St. Germain, aside and asked if he could interview us. We shrugged and said sure. He had a list of questions and the first couple seemed straightforward enough. But St. Germain was looking at him suspiciously and suddenly said, “You’re from Howard Stern, aren’t you.” The guy nodded. That immediately flipped a switch in my mind, so that–moments later–when the questions turned skewed (“If UPS makes a delivery to your home, are you forbidden from signing for it since you’re not allowed to write?”) I was able to roll with it rather than say, “Huh?” So that was lucky.
Met several staffers from the Colbert Report, which was also cool.
Will be back at it next week. I hope this doesn’t drag on, but suspect it will.
PAD
• 
My favorite slogan to date is “We write! They wrong!”
Good for you, Peter. I’m not sure I would ever walk a picket line as I’m horribly poisoned by the MSM against protesting anything–although, should the situation arise, I bet I could do a pretty good job of it.
(I hope this strike lasts forever.
Fill the air with
GET SMART
TIME TUNNEL
ETC.
there are so many great shows to rerun that noone ever saw,
“We don’t need no stinking writers”.
Is Robin Williams still considered a celebrity???????????????????????????
Wow. That’s only a few blocks from my job. I’ll have to stop by and give those guys some support. I hope the writers get everything they deserve.
And of course they didn’t have a celebrity there today- YOU were the celebrity today, PAD.
Walk that line, strikers! If you don’t look out for yourselves, who will? Sure as hëll not your employers! They never have, and they never will.
As a fellow Union Member (SEIU Local 113) Give them Hëll Peter. Here’s to a short but successful strike and may you all get what is rightfully yours.
I find it extremely cool that someone named Germain would pick out the most pertinent detail about the interviewer.
Lousy pinko-commie writers in their ascots and all their finery strutting about for more money! Bah! A pox on all who keep Kristin Chenoweth from my High-Def TV screen! A pox, I say!
( Hey Peter, in all seriousness, how does the logistics of such a strike work? Does each writer simply show up on the picket line as his/her schedule allows – or are things a bit more precise and organized? )
The WGA sends out daily updates saying where the next picket line is going to be. You sign up ahead of time on line.
PAD
It’s like a really annoyed flash mob.
“The WGA sends out daily updates saying where the next picket line is going to be. You sign up ahead of time on line.”
That sounds disturbingly organised. Like a lynch mob formed, but the torches and pitchforks had a sign-out sheet.
1). As soon as you mentioned ‘Sirius Satellite’, I knew where you were going. Back when Howard was on regular radio, his guys used to say they were from ‘CBS Radio’ to throw off celebrities/victims. It was usually ‘Stuttering John.’
2) This is one strike I find myself in support of. As I understand it, screenwriters/teleplaywriters are often treated as the ‘red-headed stepchild’ in the film/tv industry. Directors are treated as gods, yet the writers are expendable. This always flabbergasted me, because the way I see it, the screenplay is the foundation of the movie, upon which everything else is built upon. I wish them success, but even if every one of their demands is provided, I suspect they’ll still be the low man on the totem pole, even if they have more brains than a lot of actors.
1). As soon as you mentioned ‘Sirius Satellite’, I knew where you were going. Back when Howard was on regular radio, his guys used to say they were from ‘CBS Radio’ to throw off celebrities/victims. It was usually ‘Stuttering John.’
2) This is one strike I find myself in support of. As I understand it, screenwriters/teleplaywriters are often treated as the ‘red-headed stepchild’ in the film/tv industry. Directors are treated as gods, yet the writers are expendable. This always flabbergasted me, because the way I see it, the screenplay is the foundation of the movie, upon which everything else is built upon. I wish them success, but even if every one of their demands is provided, I suspect they’ll still be the low man on the totem pole, even if they have more brains than a lot of actors.
The WGA sends out daily updates saying where the next picket line is going to be. You sign up ahead of time on line.
Does the WGA send out those notices to anyone other than WGA members? I’m wondering where non-writer supporters find out about your picket sites.
Keep up the good fight, good sir.
I’ll share with my fellow PAD readers the photo I saw of Harlan that was linked on the HarlanEllison DOT com forum.
Yep, that’s Harlan. Who else could get away with a sign like that?
So what was your answer tot he UPS question? and any other clever answers to other questions?
Regarding Sirius: Yeah that was probably Gary Garver. Howard makes him ask usually 2 serious questions to people/celebs, and then he blindsides them with either an idiot question, or if you are a celebrity, something they find horrendously offensive.
One of the interviews they replay alot on Stern is the one where he interviews Brittany Murphy. He asks her a question regarding how it is to work with Liza Minneli (sorry for poor spelling if I did)…and Britany goes on this 3 minute speech of how wonderful it is to work with her.
His second question then I believe he asks her about reports that she (Brittany) is crazy. Britany ends the interview right there.
Anyway, I rarely support (in my mind) strikes of any kind. Mainly because they usually involve multi-millionaire atheletes. But this is one strike I do support…as what the writers are asking for seems more than fair.
Im actually in the mid 50s on the east side, so I may take a walk over during the week and see whats going on at some point
i have just one thing to say…….if the strike goes to long welcome to MORE REALITY TV 🙁
Good for you, PAD! When I heard that there was WGA action in NYC as well as Hollywood, I wondered if you might be involved. Despite the apparent spin attempts by some media outlets, I think that most of the public recognizes the reasonable and justified nature of the writers’ requests.
To any on the west coast who are curious, there are picket lines outside of several studios regularly. A website, fans4writers.com, has been created, and continues to be developed and expanded, to provide both information and ways for the fans to support the writers during this dispute.
Since I’m a big fan of great writing, I was ready to support the WGA without getting any facts. Now that I’ve seen the facts, I’m even more convinced that the writers are right. Stay hard WGA!
I support the strike in general terms, but strongly oppose the actions of some of the participants. If non-union writers were being imported, then I would accept jeering toward them, but that at non-writer cast and crew who show up for work seems wrong. I guess it comes down to this – they have the right to deprive their employers of their services, but not that of the other employees, if there are still scripts to film, sets to build or other functions to perform. The legitimacy of closed-door sets and states is a more complex question than this, but I do think about that.
Jeff didn’t you ever hear of supporting your coworkers? There is nothing wrong with a actor/prop guy saying you people are right I am not going to work to support you. On the other hand the writers have a right to be annoyed by the actors ect saying thanks for giving me lines to say but I can’t support you for wanting the same thing we get so go away.
Regarding Sirius: Yeah that was probably Gary Garver.
No. He said his last name and it was more complicated than that.
PAD
Hmmm. If you want to read more about what it is like for the writers on strike, I suggest that you check out http://kenlevine.blogspot.com Ken is a sitcom writer who has written for such shows as MASH, CHEERS et al. He has his tongue firmly in cheek about the strike and picketing out here in California.
You can have the world’s most esteemed actors, the greatest director ever to grace a set, a producer with an unlimited checkbook and special effects not yet dreamed of, but it all becomes a worthless bad joke if you don’t have a good writer to tie it all together. Writers never get enough respect, and I hope they strike until they get it.
Daniel wrote: There is nothing wrong with a actor/prop guy saying you people are right I am not going to work to support you.
Agreed, if they can afford it. Please remember that not everyone in the business makes tons of cash. If the prop guy has a family to support, he may sympathize, but he has to work.
On a separate note, I always had heard that the writers were treated as the red-headed stepchild. It was hammered home when I read that a film’s writer only receives 1/3 of a penny per dollar of a DVD! So when we buy that DVD in the discount bin for $6, the writer only sees 2 cents. Talk about being undervalued!
I hope the strike ends quickly with the writers getting a fair shake.
Well i just hope those writers get what they want (or at least a huge part of theire list).
It’s ironic that the last time the WGA made a deal with the studios/producers, they agreed to take a cut on their home video residuals, on the assumption that they would give the still-developing home video market a chance to grow. Since then, the video cassette has come and gone and people are already talking about the demise of the DVD format in terms of direct download. So when people talk about the ‘greedy writers,’ they’re forgetting that the WGA has already been waiting the better part of two decades to get the deal they should have got then. Ironically, direct download means an even greater profit, because there are no duplication costs, warehousing, distribution, etc, so one would think the producers would be more willing to give up a bigger, if still diminutive share, but if they could find a way of giving the writers nothing, they would happily do it.
I had a conversation on day two of the strike with the gal who cuts my hair. At first, she was pretty irritated about the whole thing, didn’t see the point, etc. I said something to the effect that without the writers, the studios would have no “product” from which to make money, and that if the studios continued to make money from the product, the people who provided it in the first place really ought to be fairly recompensed all down the line.
She said, “Oh. I can see that.” Don’t know how long that lasted, but it encouraged me. (No, I’m not a writer.)
“Regarding Sirius: Yeah that was probably Gary Garver.
No. He said his last name and it was more complicated than that.
PAD”
Hmm, I’m not that huge of Stern fanatic that I know everyones full names, but my guess is then it may be someone from his regular staff, and not his news staff. Many times he sends his producers (or I think they just go on their own) into the field and do bits like that for the show. A lot of times they do it for Howard TV also, though you didn’t mention they had a camera.
Michael
Yep, that’s Harlan. Who else could get away with a sign like that?
I don’t get it, but I still think it’s funny.
Picket locations are listed on the Writer’s Guild website at http://www.wga.org/subpage_member.aspx?id=2536
Don’t go as fans… go as supporters. If you like a show’s writing support the people that make the plots and words your enjoy! Make noise! Let the producers know that you, the consumer, are for the writers. Face it… you are the ones who allow all the money to be made by taking your time to watch. Without you there is no work. It is shocking that when you chose to watch an episode on the web, with commercials, writers receive nothing because it is considered “promotional.” As my favorite judge from Boston Legal would say: “SHOCKING!”
Irving Belateche over on the blog http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/ wrote about this awesome conversation he overheard:
“Every day after picketing, I come home and work on my long, elegant essay articulating why we’re on strike. It’s meant for the general public and attempts to summarize the issues. But today, I overheard something that took care of my essay in one fell swoop.
Guy (into cell phone): The writers are on strike out here.
[PAUSE]
Guy (into cell phone): Because the corporations are dìçkš.”
LOL- Stay in to win guys!
Was the Stern interviewer Sal “the Stockbroker” Governale? Sal’s done these kinds of things a few times when there was something around the NY area. He interviewed people in Harlem after OJ got in trouble again.
That’s it. That’s the name. Sal Governale. I’m pretty sure that’s what he said. Kind of an oblong face; reminds me of the comedian Chris Elliot.
And no, there wasn’t a camera; just a mike.
PAD
daniel: Supporting co-workers is nice, but if the show is cancelled there are no co-workers, just former associates. When an actor who is not on strike decides to go to work, he is just doing the job he was paid for, using a script for which the writers have been paid under their existing contract. If the writers were able to force the end of the programs for which they are writing, the subject of future royalties would be moot, because there would be no future shows for which to be paid. Preventing non-union or other-union workers from doing their jobs comes close to restraint of trade. Preventing the shows from using non-union writers is one thing, but preventing them from other activities is another.
I wonder how those writers fortunate enough to be the creators and/or producers of their programs square their interests as union members with those as owners of valuable property. When Tina Fey (as one example) shows solidarity with other writers, she is also diminishing the likelihood of her self-created program being renewed and generating income for her. There are many similar examples. It appears that many of these creators (all of those of whom I am aware) are showing solidarity with their union, but I suspect if they did otherwise their careers would suffer greatly. It’s difficult to say how virtuous an act is when the cost of doing otherwise is greater than that of doing “the right thing.”
James, I certainly don’t want to put words in your mouth, but it sounds as though you’re implying that doing the right thing in this case is not necessarily the right thing? Or are you simply saying that there’s no real way of knowing what is right or wrong, because for these people there is only one course of action available to them? If as you say, the writers are owners of valuable property, surely they’re entitled to a bit more money for that property?
I think my favourite celebrity-supports-writers story was when Eva Longoria showed up to give pizza to striking writers and they just razzed her. That’s pretty crazy. I realize that it was probably within their rights if they didn’t like the stance she was taking with doing work and all but, come on, Eva Longoria! With free pizza!! I think my head woulda just exploded.
I think the reason they razzed her was because Lonoria had reportedly just shot her scenes for the day before showing up with pizzas. Maybe it felt just a tad hypocritical to them.
My point was that, even if one is convinced that the noblest approach is to honor the strike, the censure and blacklist one would face for ignoring it would make the alternative much more unattractive. It’s something like this: You are in a room where your captor announces he will torture your companion, unless you defeat him. After he’s through with your companion, he says, he’ll kill you very slowly. If you stop him, who can say whether your motive is love for your fellow man or concern for your own skin? Either is entirely possible, but the circumstances make it very unattractive not to behave “nobly.” If one honors a strike because it seems like the best thing to do for society (or one’s profession), that sounds like a good thing. If one does so because one believes one will be expelled from your own union, generally hated and denied employment in the future, there is no virtue attached – merely good game-playing.
If you’re talking about performers, performers are in the same boat as the writers when it comes to getting a cut from yet-to-be-enjoyed profits from new media. If the writers union prevails in getting their cut, the performers union benefits from someone else setting the precedent. Therefore the strikers are right to heckle those who will benefit from their sacrifice, but who nurture the obstruction against them all.
I think the reason they razzed her was because Lonoria had reportedly just shot her scenes for the day before showing up with pizzas. Maybe it felt just a tad hypocritical to them.
Yeah, I understand the thought process, but I can’t go along with it. Personally speaking, if a super hot chick showed up with pizza, I’d totally just sell out my principles.
I would like to support the writers, but right now i don’t know what the writers need from me — the average joe — any thoughts or suggestions???
If the show is cancelled, future work on the show dies. If I had any part in a production I would be leery of anyone who had sabotaged production beyond a personal work stoppage. Suppose an actor or someone else involved in a show were unhappy, and wanted more money. Perhaps he can stop working, but if he forces the writer to stop working that is nothing but stealing his livelihood. Fine, the writers walk away, and the producers cannot hire new ones: It may not be entirely fair, but it’s not the same thing as preventing preventing the actors, or carpenters, or painters, or whatever else, from doing work they were hired and paid to do, and which the producers are still willing to pay them for. I have no sympathy for those who would interfere in that way.
You keep saying that, but that’s as much a concern for the studios stonewalling on giving a cut of yet-to-be-enjoyed profits from new media as well as the strikers. It’s inherent in any organized labor negotiation.
What is this “If the show is [canceled], future work on the show dies” rationale for criticizing the strike if not protectionist sniveling? Do you think studios keep content they could make money from vaulted away in case of a strike, do you think they’ll figure out a way to survive without new content, or what? The talent can always resort to filming and posting something and linking google ads from it if the studios continue to withhold the profits that prevent the talent from doing so in the first place. It won’t be like studios will be able to give audiences anything more entertaining.
That ain’t happening here. The events of the SAG negotiations are taking place roughly a year later than what’s going on with the WGA. SAG is going to ask for the same things, and will benefit from the sacrifices the WGA makes now. Actors who drive through the main studio gates to work should have their cars egged and tomatoed. If they’re going to work against a strike they benefit from, they should at least have the decency to sneak into the studio.
Mike, I don’t think the studios have much in the vault at this point, but there was a story earlier this week (in variety.com I think) about how the studios might be looking to import UK product and/or writers to help tide them over during the strike. I don’t know how much of that is actually true, but it will be interesting to see what, if anything actually happens.
Wow… just….wow…
I wish when I fized a computer I still got a check everyday that the computer continued to work.
I bet your auto-mechanic would love you to send him a paycheck each day the car he repaired for you keeps running.
Be great to do one thing and get paid it forever instead of maybe getting what the market will pay and then doing something to earn that next paycheck rather than just thinking you are owed for something you already did in the past…
Unions, and we wonder why there are fewer jobs left in America anymore….
“I wish when I fized a computer I still got a check everyday that the computer continued to work.”
It’s really not the same thing. *Somebody* is going to get paid every time a DVD is sold.
When you fix a computer, that’s exactly one computer that gets fixed for one person. When a writer writes a screenplay, it doesn’t get watched by a pre-set number of people and then that’s it, nobody else ever pays to watch it again. If more people buy the DVD, then those people pay more money. Where that money goes is what’s in dispute.
Same thing with the internet rights. The studios are putting stuff online and getting money for it. They plan to do more of that in the future. The writers did some of the work to make that possible, so they don’t believe the studios should get all of that money while they get nothing.
Bladestar,
If (using your computer example) a programmer creates a much in demand program, should he or she not be paid something for each sale or download of his or her program?
If an artist creates a piece of work that is then turned into prints and sold, should he or she not be paid something for each print sold?
If a writer turns 350 pages of blank paper into a book, should he or she not be paid something for each book sold?
If a writer turns 70 – 100 pages of blank paper into a popular TV or movie script, should he or she not be paid something for each sale of the product (whether that be VHS, DVD, syndication or internet) that he or she created when there are so many others who did far less who are? And many of those who did less are paid far more now then the writers are asking for.
And the value of a writer is far greater then many of the others involved in the process. Take away the people who make TV and movies, and actors can still ply their trade on a stage. Take away the actors, and the writers can still create stories for the entertainment of the masses. Take away all the writers, and you’ll have a huge number of actors and film crews with nothing to do.
“Unions, and we wonder why there are fewer jobs left in America anymore….”
Have unions overreached or made a few missteps over the years? Of course they have. But they also did a hëll of a lot for the poor and the working class in this country over the years. Whatever nice wage you get paid for your job, you should thank the unions of years ago for their hand in creating the circumstances that helped create it. They may not be what they once were, but they did a hëll of a lot in creating the country that you now sit comfortably in and dismiss them from.
Peter, I know you’re a devotee of Broadway among your other interests – what do you think of the current strike that’s now keeping almost all of Broadway dark?