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...and a bunch more writers (and some actors) from Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. Joss and friends are planning a Mutant Enemy Fan Day for everyone to get together and walk the picket line in front of the FOX studios on Dec 7 from 10 am to 2 pm. In the unlikely but wonderful event that the strike is resolved before then, we'll drop back to the backup picnic idea
And, since I'm one of the organizers and Travelocity was nice enough to spontaneously drop the price a 100 bucks, I'm heading to LA to march with my favorite writers. First time I've ever traveled west of, say, North Carolina, so this should be interesting.
Wanna come along? Jump into the Joss Whedon section of the fans4writers.com forum and check out the rather frantic planning. Or stop in your own personal favorite show's forum and see what your fellow fans are doing to support the writers.
[ December 13, 2007, 07:55 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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Hey Chris, probably can't make the 7th (almost impossible to do a weekday, frankly), but how long are you gonna be out here and what all do you have planned? Or if that questioning is too invasive, do you have any free time? No guarantees that schedules would mesh, but it'd be an honor to meet you.
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I'll be in town till about 9 or so Saturday night. No plans yet for Saturday, although some level of shameless touristing must be accomplished. I'm open.
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Can't do weekdays, but love to get together with Hatrackers on Saturdays, and would be happy to show you somewhere touristy from a native's perspective...
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I may be in town, and available, though maybe not for the picketing. But I did honk at the WGA members in solidarity as I drove past Fox Studios on the way to the Los Angeles Parking Bureau.
If people are going to be in Santa Monica I might be able to swing by and say hello.
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Anybody interested in a Hatrackers' breakfast? I'd love to meet some folk.
It would need to be somewhere within a fairly cheap cab ride from the Best Western on south Sepulveda Blvd.
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The Royal Palace Inn and Suites? That's about 3 miles from my apartment. Straight shot right down Pico.
I'd be happy to host breakfast, but I won't be able to cook anything. I can do bagels, pastries, fruit -- and I'll have a thing of already-heated hot water available for coffee and tea . . .
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Have fun Chris, et al. Make sure to tell all of us upon your return of your adventures, so we can attempt to live vicariously through you.
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Seeing as that is, like, an hour to an hour and a half from where I live, and the kids and I like to sleep in, I don't think we can do breakfast. Drat.
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I didn't read that as only wanting to meet folks for breakfast. I figured he wanted (or would welcome) company on the "touristy" remainder of his day too.
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Sorry, figured if we were going to be on the move breakfast would be the easiest time to meet up. I'm open to suggestions.
I arrive around 4ish Thursday, and I'll prolly go straight to the motel to check in and find my co-conspirators... um, fellow organizers, so dinner that night will probably be with them. Friday will be a hurried breakfast and then a lot of hauling, organizing, yelling, and stammered idol worship, and then 4 hours of marching and chanting. After that, dunno, although I'm certain large bunches of us will stick together. At midnight there's a Serenity showing nearby at the Nuart Theater, which is just perfect (and I already bought a ticket).
Saturday morning I'll be checking out and then at the mercy of my handlers, i.e. you guys. I'll need to be at LAX by 8:30 or so.
There's at least one other person in LA I'll want to find and I don't know his schedule yet. Check back for more exciting developments!
[ November 28, 2007, 05:33 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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Well, let me know what you're up for later in the day. My favorite spots in L.A. are Chinatown and Olivera Street, both of which are easily accessible by train, btw, and I would be happy to meet you there if you're not doing anything else and show you all the coolest parts. (Or anything you wanted to do, those are just my favorites so I like showing them to non-residents.)
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I'll be furiously packing for a trip on sunday, but could potentially meet people on saturday, I'll try to keep an eye on this thread to see what plans are.
general note to Chris and others not from the area: be careful with descriptions like "south sepulveda" roads out here tend to be pretty long (i.e. I got all excited cause I live just off Sepulveda down south, but my end of Sepulveda is probably 20 miles from the end you'll be at =p )
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quote:Originally posted by Chris Bridges: At midnight there's a Serenity showing nearby at the Nuart Theater, which is just perfect (and I already bought a ticket).
I used to live two blocks from the Nuart Posts: 3936 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Regardless of what else y'all decide, my offer of breakfast stands. (And I'm really hoping gets taken, since joining you for anything else that day is not going to be a possibility for me.)
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My plans have not changed overmuch, but I e-mailed PJ, rivka and KQ with contact info. If we get any concrete plans I'll post 'em here, hopefully in time for anyone to react.
Here's the PR for the event:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 5, 2007
MUTANT FANS DESCEND ON FOX Fans of writer/creator Joss Whedon come together to show their support for the WGA.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - Joss Whedon's fans have become legendary for their enthusiasm, activism and outspoken support. This Friday they'll exhibit all three as they gather together to join the picket lines of the writers' strike.
From the very first day of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, fans of writer/creator Joss Whedon have been supporting the writers in their struggle for fair compensation. Within the first week Fans4Writers (F4W), an outreach program for fans of all movies and shows, was created to coordinate efforts to support WGA writers with "Food 4 Thought" food drops to strike lines and morale-boosting campaigns.
Now the fans are coming from around the world to gather together at the site of Whedon's former production company Mutant Enemy, home of such shows as "Angel," "Firefly," and the pop culture phenomenon "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," to demonstrate to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that viewers demand a fair deal for the writers they respect.
"I couldn't miss this," said C. A. Bridges, a F4W founder who is flying in from central Florida. "They've done so much for us, the chance to give a little back is wonderful."
On Friday, December 7, 2007, an estimated 150 fans will gather together for Mutant Enemy Day to picket in front of FOX Studios. To continue the theme of helping others and the importance of words, Fans4Writers will also be organizing a book and food drive with the theme of "Feed the Mind, Feed the Body." The public is urged to bring books and media materials to be donated to the Santa Monica Public Library, and canned goods and other non-perishable items for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
"We are honored to be involved in helping organize events such as ME Day," said Brenda Lawhorn, another F4W founder traveling to ME Day from Ohio, "to come together not just as fans, writers, and actors but as people with a common purpose for a just cause; the recognition that creativity must not be treated as a replaceable and unimportant commodity. Without the writers, there would be nothing for us to be fans of."
Joining the fans will be Mutant Enemy writers such as Whedon himself, Tim Minear ("Angel," "Firefly," "Drive"), Steven S. DeKnight ("Buffy," "Angel," "Smallville"), Rebecca Kirshner ("Buffy," "Gilmore Girls"), David Fury ("Buffy," "Angel," "Lost," "24"), Jane Espenson ("Buffy," "Angel," "Firefly," "Battlestar Galactica", Ben Edlund ("Angel," "Firefly," "Supernatural"), and Marti Noxon ("Buffy," "Angel," "Gray's Anatomy").
Actors expected to join the march include Eliza Dushku ("Buffy," "Angel," Tru Calling"), Alexis Denisof ("Buffy," "Angel," "How I Met Your Mother"), Nathan Fillion ("Buffy," "Firefly," Serenity, Waitress, "Desperate Housewives"), Summer Glau ("Angel," "Firefly," Serenity, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles"), Amy Acker ("Angel," "Alias," "Ghost Whisperer"), Felicia Day ("Buffy," "The Guild"), and Juliet Landau ("Buffy," "Angel," BioShock).
"Our fans have proven time and again that the audience is now an active force in the entertainment world," Whedon said. "The fact that fans would gather -- and in some cases fly across the country -- not for a convention, not to meet glamorous actors, but to walk the picket line in support of the writers whose stories they cherish, shows how informed, involved and supportive they are. It's a morale boost to the writers, no doubt, but it's also a message to everyone else: the audience matters. Actually, more than any side involved in the negotiations. Without them, we're nothing. With them, we plan to make a little noise."
This is not the first time fans of Whedon's shows have come out in force for a cause. As of today, Whedon fans have raised over $300,000 for various charities in the last decade such as the International Red Cross, the LA Food Bank, and Equality Now.
Mutant Enemy Day will take place in front of FOX Studios, 10201 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90064, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. More details are available at www.fans4writers.com .
# # #
ABOUT FANS4WRITERS: The Fans4Writers Web site and effort are unaffiliated with the Writers Guild of America, except in spirit.
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I replied to your e-mail, Chris, but I'll let others know here, too -- some family stuff came up and we won't be able to make it this weekend. Unfortunate timing, since we were very much looking forward to meeting you. Hope as many of you as possible will have a great time.
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kq, I think Chris might need a ride. If you can give him one (and he's only a few miles from here), I think we're on. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Sorry I didn't call anyone when I got here - met up with other strike organizers and have spent the last 6 hours planning, scouting out the location in front of FOX studios (and the park across the street where we'll be picnicking afterwards, weather permitting or even if not) and just got back to the motel. I'm stil not sure what's going on after the picnic or Saturday, but I'll call and let you both know either way.
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Remember to call rivka before sundown tomorrow or she can't pick up the phone.
(I'm going to text you that info if I don't see you online or get an e-mail or call from you, just to make sure you get hold of her.)
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Back, exhausted, happy, or as one person put it, I'm "all blissed out."
I'll be posting a long description as soon as I recover a bit more, but I posted a pile of photos here.
Short description: incredible. Weather weas great despite dire threats of rain, we got constant honking from traffic, and the largest single turnout of Joss Whedon-related people ever in one go. Here's a (incomplete) list of attendees:
Joss Whedon Amy Acker Morena Baccarin The Bedlam Bards Jeffrey Bell Nicholas Brendon Felicia Day Steve DeKnight Eliza Dushku Ben Edlund Jane Espenson Sarah Fain Michael Fairman Raphael Feldman Yan Feldman (they were both pretty, in case you wondered) Nathan Fillion - standing there being tall David Fury Drew Goddard Ron Glass Summer Glau Harry Groener James Gunn (writer/director of Slither) Erich Hoeber Samantha Humphery (with UH) Juliet Landeau Robert Lee Tom Lenk William Mapother (of "Lost") Brett Matthews Tim Minear Marti Noxon Rick Parks (with UH) Doug Petrie Loni Peristere J. August Richards Douglas Romayne Mere Smith Keith Szarabajka Camden Toy Alan Tudyk Brian K. Vaughn
Sorry for the delay in reporting. I’ve been recuperating from being, in QuoterGal’s perfect phrase, “blissed out.”
So. When last we left our hero, he was taking off for Los Angeles to attend Mutant Enemy Day when fans from the four corners of the globe would be gathering to show their support for the writers’ strike by marching along with writers and actors from Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon’s former TV production company. Oh, and some Joss fellow.
The flight was uneventful, aside from the med student in the seat next to me who spent the time studying descriptions and full color images of surgeries and some extremely unfortunate man with a rather spectacular genital-based disorder.
Arrived in a gray LA and cabbed to the motel, returning calls about the event to the Wall Street Journal reporter and the local CBS affiliate on the way. Already I was acclimating to the culture! I was networking! I felt like putting on sunglasses and being insincere at somebody, but the cabbie was far too busy attempting vehicular genocide to notice.
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I still wish I had had the time to drive by. Sadly, though it was quite close to me, it was in the opposite direction from work and the kids' schools. Alas!
Looks like y'all had a blast. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I could never harass a celebrity. They have enough problems just eating a meal in public without people constantly coming up to them. The pic I took was with my cellphone - inobtrusive, not obvious or in his face. The most I might give is a nod and a smile, to show that I recognized him in a good way.
If circumstances put us next to each other and the celebrity wasn't already in a conversation, I wouldn't have a problem starting one, but in the same way I would start a conversation with anyone. (One exception: Terry Pratchett. He's the only person I've actually become tongue-tied around.)
One lady did come up to him while we were there and he was very gracious to her, thanking her for her attention while his brunch was getting cold.
While I was over there a friend told me of her encounter with Wallace Shawn ("Princess Bride," "My Dinner with Andre'). She and her family saw him in a restaurant in LA and instead of going over and gushing at him she wrote a note telling him how much she appreciated his work and asked the waiter to take it over, explaining that she didn't want to bother him. The waiter ran it by the maitre'd, took it over, and later Shawn came to their table anyway and talked to them for awhile. Polite, non-intrusive, and gave him the option of what to do about it. Works for me.
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Maybe next time Chris.
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