More news from Joss re: WGA strike by DeeplyKidding

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More news from Joss re: WGA strike

POSTED BY: DEEPLYKIDDING
UPDATED: Friday, November 16, 2007 07:08
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 4:05 PM

Saw this Whedonesqe post from Joss Whedon while perusing the www.fans4writers.com web site:

http://whedonesque.com/comments/14745

Sounds like the strike may take a while, but that interesting things are happening.

So, to show your support for the writers get over to www.fans4writers.com, or head over to the picket lines, or something!

We'll hold til they get back...

I'd rather be a smartass than a dumbass...

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 4:22 PM

SAB39

Site is down, anyone manage to get a cached copy before it died that they can repost here?

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 4:45 PM

DEEPLYKIDDING

Quote:
Originally posted by sab39:
Site is down, anyone manage to get a cached copy before it died that they can repost here?

Still had the window open. Here's the text:

November 14 2007
More from Joss. I have news... that I might have news!

PURPLE PROSE: because you (meaning “I”) demanded it!

Friends, Echo, Bunnymen, lend me your ears. Well, eyeballs. It’s been a few days and I wanted to tell you what’s the what in me-land. Yes, I’m still sick (@#$&#!). Yes, I’m still striking… ly handsome! Zing! Still got it! I haven’t been on the front lines as much as I’d like but I do have some reports.

PICKETING WITH THE STARS! Unbelievable! An amazing experience. Wasn’t there.

PICKETING WITH THE WRITERS at Fox. Still a good experience, though starless. The oddest part of the strike to date: A man came up to us, expressing sympathy and wishing us success and handing out his card… for his jewelry store. I guess he thinks we’re gonna win big. Or maybe he was handing out his card to the wrong side. SO random.

(After picketing I went to an acupuncturist for the first time ever in order to help beat this terminator-like cold. A warning to the uninitiated: this is not like visiting a typical Western physician. Do you have any idea what goes on at an acupuncturist’s office? For the love of God, they PUNCTURE you with needles! They really ought to make that clearer in the name.)

But the big event of the day: got together with a bunch of showrunners whose fans have significant online presence. I won’t say which shows, as the meeting was tippety-top secret, but I will tell you – JUST BETWEEN US – that one of them rhymed with “Cattlecar Flalactica”. And one rhymed with “Gyureka.” And one sounds just a little bit like “Fritz Galway’s Bunny is Really Wealthier”. MORE I CANNOT SAY. And Jane and Marti were there. And a lot of others. There was no food.

The point of the meeting was that the WGA is aware of – and a little blown away by – the passion, tenacity, and organizational savvy of the online community. The “Jericho” nuts are the stuff of legend. Whedonesque and the creation of Fans4Writers were spoken of in awed whispers. I’m not kidding: one of the WGA workers asked me, “So, your fans. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?” I swear, having you guys in my corner is like being friends with Zorro. People in the community are amazed.

We met to see if there was some way for US to organize the way YOU have – to use the nettyweb to show the studios that there are no longer two sides to this struggle; there are three. The audience has a voice, and a right to be heard. We talked about different ideas that have been floated by fans to make some kind of nut-like show of unity and support. How can we do something so noticeable it might even get into the mainstream press? I’ll let you know when it’s worked out – should be within a day or so. Should be fun, too. Hell, it was fun just being in a room full of smart writers again, pitching ideas. (Also fun was typing “Hell”. Makes me sound butch.)

I also asked about a Mutant Enemy strike day, and the WGA peeps said they had no problem with that. We still don’t have a date (I still don’t have a lung) but I’ll be organizing that soon. Here’s the deal for whomever can come: Bring a sign, walk the line. (If you can’t make one there’ll probably be extras, but I think it’s more fun to make your own. Nothing rude, please.) I’ll get as many M.E. writers (and hopefully a few actors) as I can to walk outside one studio for a four hour shift alongside… well, any fan that carries the banner. More on that as it develops. Back to you, Bob.

Jaime Paglia of “Eureka” – I mean Flaime Flaglia of… florget it – talked about getting this movement into the non-California-or-New-York states, and I thought that was wisely wise. There are shows shooting in Boston, Rhode Island, Philadelphia – and there are fan-bases in EVERY state. We talked about getting some rallies going at local affiliates all over the country. I, of course, got to boast about the Browncoats and the “Serenity” screenings… The idea of people massing in different cities, whatever their fan-affiliation, is exciting, newsworthy, and let’s face it, fun. (Personally, I’d like to do a whistle-stop tour of the country, but right now that may be a bit ambitious for a man who can’t stand up for more than two hours.) (Still, standing at the back of a train, waving – and the WGA offered to provide bunting. Who doesn’t love bunting?)

The point is twofold. The first is that we expect this to take a long time. We want to make an impression NOW, but we also want to keep thinking of ways to spread awareness and keep you all engaged and, frankly, entertained. Because the second point is that there was no one in that room who didn’t understand that they were there BECAUSE OF YOU, because you guys have already proven yourselves not just dedicated fans but an active, forceful community. Take a moment to be all up in yourself. Now get over yourself. Now doubt yourself. Now hug yourself. Now touch your knee – Hah! Didn’t say “Simon says”. Like, ever. FOOLS! It’s you unauthorized-knee-touching fools who are proving that the internet is indeed the line in the sand (“…must be drawn Heah! This fah! No fuhther!”), for it’s the one medium the congloms don’t control. Televised news is largely ignoring us, the print media is eating Nick Counter’s astonishing lies like candy they get paid to eat, but you upon the ether… you haven’t been silent and you can’t be silenced. Go ahead. Touch that knee. Simon be damned.

It’s nice to blog sans rage for a change. Better for the immune system, too. Thanks, all, and keep watching the skies.

-j.

[ edited by joss on 2007-11-14 20:17 ]
joss | Purple prose | 20:14 CET | 117 comments total | tags: bags, hags, flags

I'd rather be a smartass than a dumbass...

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 4:47 PM

SAB39

Thanks. It came back by itself, but this'll be handy for other folks if it goes down again.

www.fans4writers.com

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 4:57 PM

NCBROWNCOAT

Just read Joss's email over at Whendonesque. Man, that man can write, even when sick and full of needles.

Anything we can do over here to help?

http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 6:32 PM

GODDESSWARRIOR89

I wish I could get out to the picket lines - I'd feed those poor writers!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Have you ever been with a warrior woman?

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 8:58 PM

FOLLOWMAL

Quote:
Originally posted by ncbrowncoat:
Anything we can do over here to help?

I've been asking myself the same thing, NCB.
I've read around a bit and decided the best thing for me to do in the backwater place that I live in is:

1. Educate the folks around me and folks I know online about the writer's strike, why they're doing it and why they deserve our support.

Here's an excellent Newsweek article that spells it out very plainly:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/70297

2. If I can't picket with 'em ( my daughter who lives in CA is going to take food to them and march with them ) I can donate towards the purchase of said food. There's a way thru www.fans4writers.com I'm sure.

3. Because I'm active online, I'm joining the http://www.fans4writers.com/ forum and keeping up on what's planned and happening and also spread the news to the different fandoms I belong to.
I love that the site has spread the word further by reaching out beyond Whedon fans.

Some folks will be able to march and help, because it sounds like to me that they're going to take this further than each coast! Oh, how I'd love to do that. And if I get a chance I will!

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Thursday, November 15, 2007 5:03 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by DeeplyKidding:
one of the WGA workers asked me, “So, your fans. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?” I swear, having you guys in my corner is like being friends with Zorro. People in the community are amazed.

*feels all shiny now*

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Thursday, November 15, 2007 5:25 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:

(“…must be drawn Heah! This fah! No fuhther!”)

LMFAO!!! Joss quotes Picard from First Contact; totally hi-larious!!!!

I love that guy Chrisisall

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Thursday, November 15, 2007 6:29 AM

EMBERS

I'm happy to see so much support here in this thread!
And FollowMal is right, the BEST thing to do is to go to the fans4writers site: http://www.fans4writers.com/
there are a lot of suggestions there, things you can do from your home w/out traveling to LA
(although getting to LA would be sweet!)

I always believe in supporting the artistically creative individual rights over the institutionalized corporate greed (JMPO of course)
Most writers are NOT rich, half the members of the WGA didn't earn enough money to qualify for health insurance....
the strike is about the little guy who needs those minimums,
it isn't about Joss: Joss will always get good money even without a union, he knows that and remarked about it in his first post at Whedonesque on the subject. He is out there because it is necessary for new young talent coming up, and for the future of good story telling on television.

http://community.livejournal.com/wga_supporters/3089.html

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Friday, November 16, 2007 12:38 AM

FILLYGIRL

Operative: "Its worse than you know..." Mal: "It usually is."

I just donated for the food, I can't do anything from Colorado to help, my friends understand, they just want a fair share of the HUGE profits the studios make. I hope they win, and I hope its soon, too much time wasted,.....Joss needs to write.

Come on people, $5 isn't much and it will feed a couple of people. Remember, they KNOW what Joss's fans can and will do for him, and it makes him very "SHINY"...only helps FF/S. Can you imagine what the others are saying about us????

Chaplain of the 76th Independant Battalion

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

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Friday, November 16, 2007 7:08 AM

BIVIUM6

Thanks, all, and keep watching the skies.

-j.

I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

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