Well, it’s official, at a press conference held this afternoon, WGA President Patric Verrone and the members of the WGA Negotiating Committee announced plans to launch the first industry-wide writer’s strike in almost 20 years this coming Monday at 12:01am.
That said, let the AMPTP media mudslinging begin!
As I said in my last post, get ready to hear a very one-sided argument in the coming days about the irreparable damager writers are set to to inflinct on the indusrty. All I can say about that is, don’t believe everything you hear and read, because somewhere beyond the AMPTP subterfuge is the real story.
In the words of WGA member Chris Carter’s iconic character, Fox Mulder: “The truth is out there” and writers are slowly but surely spreading that truth through blogs, online chat rooms and anyone else who will have us. So if you want the real story of what this is all about, dig deeper.
Today alone there have been dozens of thoughtful, intelligent blog postings on The Huffington Post’s “Writers’ Strike Opinion Page” by writers and actors from every sector of the entertainment industry. But perhaps the best quotes I found online came from a spirited quid pro quo between the men of the hour themselves, the WGA’s Patric Verrone and the AMPTP’s Nick Counter:
“Rather than address our members’ primary concern, the studios made it clear that they would rather shut down the town than reach a fair and reasonable deal…this is not an action that anyone takes lightly. But it slowly became apparent that the studios are not prepared to deal fairly with writers and the rest of the talent community,” WGA West president Patric M. Verrone said.
“We are committed to seeing this through and are willing to engage in any further discussions if the studios so desire,” he added.
In response, AMPTP president Nick Counter, in a statement, said, “The WGA’s call for a strike is precipitious and irresponsible. The writer is one of our most highly regarded assets and one of our most highly rewarded. Working writers on average earn over $200,000 a year.”
Right. And we all drive pimped-out Bentley’s too. Please…if that comment alone doesn’t show the vast divide between our stance and that of the studios, then I don’t know what does. See you at the picket line, Mr. Counter!
Oh, and um, don’t even think of trying any of that action pictured above, cause this WGA member has a real Jedi lightsaber and he knows how to use it!
make. see. eat. do. 
