Breaking In: The WGA Strike – Star Watching

By Juliana Weiss

Photos courtesy of Valerie Perez

“You people are causing a disturbance.” – Joss Whedon

The WGA strike has provided young, aspiring writers with a unique opportunity to walk (in circles) with the professional writers and showrunners they admire. Some writers are even offering script advice to those who join them on the line. Of course, the strike also allows newbies to partake in a particularly popular L.A. hobby: star-watching.

“Bring a Celebrity to the Strike” Day signaled the beginning of a new era for even the most seasoned celeb watchers. My co-workers and I tallied a total of 61 celebrity sightings during our short lunch break. (Yes, we made a list when we got back to the office.) We were surrounded by showrunners of some of our favorite TV shows: Alan Ball of Six Feet Under, Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars, Shonda Rhimes of Grey’s Anatomy, and Marti Noxon of Buffy Seasons 6 & 7. We eavesdropped on Oz (Seth Green) chatting with Mr. Universe (David Krumholtz). Someone reported witnessing Minnie Driver doing an impression of a mewing donkey. I got goose bumps when I recognized Shield villain Armadillo (Danny Pino). And apparently I walked beside Felicity Huffman for a full city block and never recognized her.

Just a few more of the celebs sighted: Will Arnett, Alexis Denisof, Zachary Levi, Andy Richter, Sarah Silverman, Lily Tomlin, and just as we left — my favorite sighting of the day — Patrick Warburton.

Question: What could be cooler than seeing The Tick in the flesh? Answer: Chatting with the creator of The Tick, Ben Edlund.

I met the man – and his wife and child! — at “Mutant Enemy on Strike” Day. No, this theme did not involve out-of-work writers dressing as disfigured villains or the likes of Magneto and Sabretooth. Mutant Enemy is the name of TV scribe Joss Whedon’s production company, where fan favorites Buffy, Angel, and Firefly were born.

Over four hundred fans, from as far as England and Australia, joined the writers and actors from past Whedon productions. “At conventions, they’re there for us. Today, we’re there for them,” fans4writers media coordinator Adam Levermore-Rich reminded the fans before the picketing began.

Attendees witnessed the Buffyverse and the worlds of Firefly collide when starship captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) chatted with vampire villain Drusilla (Juliet Landau), and saw enemies, like villain Nishka and Shepherd Book, put their differences behind them as they walked shoulder to shoulder. And of course, all of our favorite writers: Jane Espenson was there in a fun and funky hat, along with Marti Noxon, David Fury, Tim Minear, and many more.

And of course, there was the man himself, who walked the circle with the rest of us. As the picketing ended, Joss Whedon addressed the crowd on a blow horn.

“You people are causing a disturbance,” he said. “Thank you so much for causing it. Thank you guys from the bottom of our hearts. This does so much, not just for us, but for the people who hear about it, who see what happened here today, how much support we have in the community. It’s not just about the writers, it’s about the entire creative community, and the country, and the unions. You guys understand that, you came out here and did the time to prove it.”

Indeed, all of this star-watching will likely make the current WGA strike the best-documented strike ever. If not in “mainstream” media (the news cameras pretty much disappeared when the casts of Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives did), then definitely on the internet. The last time I checked United Hollywood’s YouTube account, wgaamerica had over 90 videos available for viewing. These videos have served two purposes: spreading the word and proving the WGA’s point: the internet is the future. (Many also serve a third purpose: they are hilarious. Here are my favorites: The Office is Closed and Voice of Uncertainty.)

As amusing as sidewalk stalking can be, even the most avid celeb watcher would rather see the stars back on their TV screen. And even without a (recognizable) celebrity in sight, aspiring writers will continue to squeeze time before work and on lunch breaks to walk around in circles. They will wear their red t-shirts and wristbands. They will frequent Nikki Finke’s blog with fingers crossed. They will support the strike until the writers get their due.

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Juliana Weiss is an aspiring Television writer in Los Angeles. She currently works as the head of the web content department for the star of an Emmy-nominated reality series. In this column, she will share with you her own experiences, thoughts, and theories about making it in the business, as well as the stories of other women who are working to make it-or have already make it-in Hollywood.

For news on the strike, she recommends visiting United Hollywood or Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily. To find out how you can help, visit Fans4writers.com.

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