The 12,000 man march on Pico

Pictured: Fearless leader Pat Verrone with Late Late Show writers: Joe Strazullo, David Harte, Verrone, Joe O’Brien, John Reynolds, and Tom Straw.

Friday the entire guild membership will converge on Fox (10201 Pico Blvd. in Century City) at 10 AM. Everyone is instructed to wear red. The hope is to attract a large non industry crowd by posing as a pep rally for the Los Angeles Angels.

Some of the major agencies have been providing food to the picketers. Large pizzas with one slice missing.

Michael Eisner has proclaimed our strike “stupid”. The former Disney Grand Poo Bah who hired and fired Michael Ovitz to the tune of $95 million says there’s no profits in online delivery systems. Meanwhile, he’s now head of a private investment firm that’s just launched an online video studio. Even Goofy and Dopey can see the irony here. Eisner is like the guy who kills his parents then asks for leniency because he’s an orphan.

From a fellow scribe: “I see where Hillary, Edwards and Obama have all come out with statements siding with the writers. Yet I haven't even seen one instance in which a Republican candidate has even been asked the QUESTION. Kind of perfect, really.”

Meanwhile, it only took Jesse Jackson three days to get his canned-ham-for-a-face in a picture on the strike line. Of course he showed up at 5:00 just as the march was ending. The man can find a photo-op like a pig can find truffles.

Thanks to Tom Straw for the photos.

The stars that REALLY support the strike will be the ones walking the line in a month. Sending gift baskets from the Grand Wailea on Maui doesn’t count.

There’s all this concern over whether the Oscarcast will be affected by the strike (and by concern I mean from idiots). Interestingly, no one is worried about the Golden Globes, which actually precede the Oscars. I believe the Oscarcast will not only air as planned but because ABC will be so desperate for original content by then, it will expand from three to fifteen hours. If your speech is too short music will come on prodding you to stay on the stage.

No one has handed a writer a script on line yet. But you know that’s coming. Some clown will ask Robert Towne to read their spec GIRLFRIENDS.

The Writers Strike website asked me the following question: A couple days of striking is fun. When does it start to hurt?

Answer: The picketing? Mile eight. Seriously, I worry that being asked to do too much picketing is going to burn the membership out. We need to be judicious after the first week in just how often and for what length of time we plan these demonstrations. Too much picketing can lower morale. Plus, it does no one any good to have five lonely protesters at Paramount for an afternoon and three more exhausted at the AstroBurger at Melrose & Gower. .

Producers would have you believe all writers make $200,000 a year. First of all, 5,000 of the 12,000 WGA members are not working at all. So their salary is considerably less. Secondly, the average writer makes $20,000 not $200,000. On the other hand, how much do all the non-writing producers and artist managers make? Y’know, the ones who attach themselves to projects like leeches. If their average salary is $400,000 it’s low.

Non writing producers will never strike because no one would ever know they’re gone. Production would increase, not decrease.

Meanwhile, our Governator, the former actor and ex-LABOR leader, has chosen to do nothing.

Can someone get out of jury duty by saying they have to picket?

Can someone get out of picketing by saying they have jury duty?

See you at Fox Friday at 10. I’ll be the one wearing red.