Pay the writers. This is (not) a complex issue.

This is kind of a tribute post..


My blog-friend Amy lives in LA(see links list 'faraway friend amy')..for years her posts have been making me laugh and cry. I remember the first time I read a story she was telling about her kiddos, Zane and Audrey, and thinking, "these kids are as funny and smart and crazy as mine..they would be such good friends if they didn't live on opposite ends of the country!". And as they have all gotten older, I still think that's true.

If you've never read her blog before you're really missing out on some great storytelling.

Speaking of great storytelling, Amy's husband Scott is a writer whose contributions have improved some notable television shows.

Currently Scott is spending his days on the picket lines with the rest of Hollywood's lifeblood.

See, the writers have been getting shafted for a very long time.
We hear s bit about the WGA strike here in the midwest, but I think living here it's easy to miss the importance of it..and easy to forget that real families are in jeopardy while parents can't work because of this situation..

If you read Amy's recent posts, you'll see a family who is directly affected by the strike, adapting beautifully(determinedly), and as always, telling their story with a good deal of hilarity.

Also, you can go to www.unitedhollywood.com

I usually find it hard to follow the complexities of disputes that result in strike. But this time, I don't know if it's because these people are in a related industry, or if the issues are just really really clear. The writers aren't getting paid squat for two technologies: DVD and the internet.(there's more to it, but that's the jist)

And that translates to a terribly unfair, inequitable distribution of profits in Hollywood. These people are creatives, they work hard, and they spend the fist part of their careers(sometimes their whole careers) as starving artists. They have kids like Audrey and Zane, Willow and Ginger.
I'm glad they're standing for what they deserve.

I met my friend David for breakfast Sunday before he headed back to LA. We talked about developing the film industry in Michigan, a couple of upcoming projects, and caught up on life. We also talked about the strike and his being keen to get back to LA to walk the line. He seemed to think that this time, the strike will be shorter and effect more change because "we've got more behind us". The show runners(an extremely valuable part of the hollywood machine) who have joined the writers in the strike make me think he could be right.

For David, and Amy & Scott's family, and all the other folks affected, I hope so.