11/08/2007

Sharing a Drink

(News from Seamus Fahey)

Thanks to the folks at The Vintage Bar Group (The Well, NoBar) The Woods (1533 La Brea at Sunset - where Lava Lounge used to be) is going to have $3 drinks all night tonight for WGA members...
Friends Kevin Flynn (a former door man) and Paul O'Neil (occasional bartender) are to thank
I told my Gate members this morning.

BTW - for the 3dollar drinks - just show your WGA card...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

While you are enjoying a well-deserved drink, here is something to mull over:

While on the Los Angeles Times Blogs there is an article entitled "CBS' Sumner Redstone: Strike is no problem", Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that CBS is the first to sue its Showrunners for Breach of Contract.

If they are not contradicting themselves, they are at least more concerned and/or effected by your strike then they are willing to let on...

Keep up the fight!!

Anonymous said...

I respect that the writers for these shows are stanind up for what they want and doing whatever it take. On the other hand, I'm a 23 year old and I make 7.15 an hour. On my free time, unpaid mind you, I write. I write short storys, essays, poems, etc. I can assume all the writers in the "Writers Guild" went to school to do what it is they love, to write. Sometimes when I finish off that last sentance, or ace a punchline, I get those tingly feelings in my stomach and say to myself "Man, Thats good", and I take pride in what I do. Whether it be slinging pizzas or writing. Where is the pride in your work? Give me a good reason why I should continue to watch something that you left cold and unfinished to picket. To what goal were you aiming for? If it's to be a sucessful writer, you made me laugh, job well done.

Lorelei Armstrong said...

We love to make you laugh, anonymous, but we can't feed the kids and make the house payment with the warm glow in our hearts.

Christian H. said...

As a fledgling writer, I did my part today by buying 5 gallons of coffee for the people at Time Warner NYC.

It's cold out there. I hope it warmed you up.

Anonymous said...

Hey anonymous (which is another word for coward, in case you were unsure - when you write something, put your name next to it.) I'm a 22 year old who makes 9 dollars an hour, and on my unpaid free time, I write spec scripts, pilots, and screenplays. I DID go to school for what I love - I'm a graduate of USC's BFA screenwriting program, and as yet, I've had no success. I am not a member of the union.

And this strike is ENTIRELY about writers taking pride in what they do. They have too much respect for themselves and for their work to continue to produce it for corporations that refuse to reward them adequate compensation. That is ALL about taking pride in what you do - sometimes pride means that you lift your chin, step up, and say that you deserve more than what you're getting.

Do you think any of these writers ENJOYED stepping away from their shows? Having worked as an intern on one, I can tell you firsthand that none of the television writers I know take pleasure in walking away from their computers while in the middle of the season. They want to finish the stories they've set out to tell just as much as you want to see them. This strike is downright painful - for people who love to write, not being able to is gutwrenching.

If you don't support the strike, then go to your boss and tell him you'd like to only be paid 5.15 an hour, but you'll continue to do the same amount of work that you've always done. Shame on you.

Anonymous said...

Hey Anonymous! Writers who are members of the WGA love their work. They started off just like you and had to work their tails off to get where they are now. Most everyone held a $7.15 job and wrote in their spare time. No writer I know was just handed a brilliant show and a stack load of money.

But they are will to sacrifice their jobs and their security so that someday, if you ever get tired of making pizza and you want to support yourself with your writing, you can do that. They are marching to make sure that if you decide to enter the field, there is a minimum wage set that you can live off of when times are tough.

On the mainpage of this blog is a great little video that explains why the WGA was created and why what the WGA is asking for is important.

I know it hurts when you get attached to a show and to the characters and they are taken away from you, or to see people who have something you dream of and walk away. But if the writers stayed and made everything better and then left to go on strike when it was convenient for the production schedule and the studio... That day would never come.

No one wants a strike. But sometimes you have to stand up for what is right.

Casey said...

Hi,

I am not alone in people that support your strike. Can you post a link so that we can donate to your organization? Or can you post a link a so we can donate to a donut and coffee fund for the strikers the WGAeast strikers are in pretty cold weather up here.
Casey

Jeff B said...

I totally feel that the writers are correct in standing up for their work. If anything it's a pride issue (as someone else said). As a graphic designer and photographer, I take pride in my work and don't want other people to make money on it unless I get a cut. When ever I sell a photograph, I expect the person who buys it not to make copies and resell them for a huge profits, such as the production companies do when they make copies of DVDs or web downloads.