Stachka!!

I hope this strike is shorter than the Eisenstein movie, but...

First day on the picket line. If the studios' hopes is that the writers will become divided, even if this thing goes on a long time, us writers are getting closer hourly.

The support of our own Guild is one thing -- we're the ones on strike, after all -- but I was truly grateful to the SAG members who showed up and picketed and chanted all four hours. So what a shock to come home and see the lies about studio gates not being covered.

As somebody who was at gates 2 & 3 at Warner Bros, I can assure any directors who are off shooting their movies that EVERY GATE at Warner Bros. was covered. Perhaps writers who ARE off directing their movies and aren't even going to be involved in actively supporting the Writer's Guild should keep their fucking mouths closed if they don't know what they're talking about. Stop the hearsay. It's damaging.

We already have a publicity issue with this thing, since some people believe everything they read or hear. Writers do NOT make, on average, $200,000 a year. We are not on strike because we're greedy. But that's what is reported in the press. So for somebody in the Guild who is (for some unknown reason) held in high esteem by the press to get EVERY FUCKING THING WRONG and to be a whiny asshat to boot, well... it's galling and depressing. And after SUPPORTING MY GUILD and hopefully helping to protect the future of ALL Hollywood entertainment unions, I want to punch him in the heart.

It's unfortunate that people have to get their information from this particular person's blog, because more often than not they walk away with the impressions HE has left. And those impressions are his personally, and he thinks he lives in some writerly ivory tower, way above the rest of us donkeys. He's not a good enough writer to stop his contempt from coming through.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT PERSONAL GAIN. IT'S NOT ABOUT EGO. It's about ALL of us.

So here's what happened today.

The picketing writers at Radford went to the location and got the CBS show "Cane" shut down. "The New Adventures of Old Christine" is shut down. Shawn Ryan, the creator of "The Shield," will not be on the set for the last episode of the SERIES. I was on the line with the creator of "Pushing Daisies." The co-creator and showrunner for "Moonlight," the showrunner for "Cold Case" and the creator and showrunner of "Sarah Connor Chronicles" were picketed Warner Bros. as well. Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson did not cross the picket line. America Ferrera from "Ugly Betty" was out picketing.

Guild president Patric Verrone was going from studio to studio to show his support. Even cranky John Ireland stalked around at Warner Bros.

EVERYBODY in a Guild or a union who honored the picket line, EVERY writer and showrunner who is NOT editing or producing his or her show, is showing a solidarity that WILL be reciprocated, at least by me. If anybody WOULD like to actively support the strike, you are more than welcome to show up and picket at any studio.

Now go hug a Teamster.