Striking writers few in number, strong in spirit
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As the strike entered its second week, WGA attendance appeared to be down at several locations that were particularly overflowing with pickets last week. On Monday afternoon, there were no protesters in front of the Walt Disney studios and only a few dozen down the street at NBC. But the striking WGA writers said their spirits were not flagging.
Jessica O’Toole, a writer on the ABC Family series ‘Greek,’ was pushing a stroller carrying her 9-month-old son, Carter. The front of his T-shirt said ‘W.G.A. Baby,’ while the back read, ‘Will Poop for Contract.’ ‘I’m a worrier,’ O’Toole said as she marched in front of NBC, ‘but there is nothing but goodwill and positive feelings out here.’ Bobby Gaylor, a writer on the Disney Channel’s ‘Phineas and Ferb,’ said he was invigorated by Friday’s massive rally at 20th Century Fox, which included a musical set by Rage Against the Machine singer Zack de la Rocha. ‘I really felt like I was a coal miner listening to Woody Guthrie,’ Gaylor said. ‘So far, everyone I have run into today says their spirits are just as strong as last week.’
In a scheduled rally certain to attract media attention, members of the Screen Actors Guild are planning to join the WGA pickets in front of Universal Studios Tuesday afternoon.
The strike claimed one more minor victory in New York. Keri Russell, the star of the upcoming Warner Bros. movie ‘August Rush,’ canceled a planned appearance on ‘Ellen,’ one of the talk shows caught in the middle of the labor dispute.
-- John Horn
