THE DAY AFTER

Yesterday was November 13th, a significant day in TV history.

First off, it was the day when Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife.

But it was also the day TV fans used their blogs to rally for the WGA.

Yesterday a lot of TV-oriented blogs, including this one, went "dark" for the day to show support for the Writers Guild of America.The folks at Glowy Box crafted a statement which sums up the cause quite well:

"As fellow writers and as TV fans, we [came] together to express our strong support for the writers and their goals. We believe that when a writer's work makes money for a company, that writer deserves to be paid. Many writers depend on residuals for a stable income, and that income shouldn't be based on an outdated formula which ignores the existence of new media and all but a tiny percentage of DVD sales.

The talented writers responsible for so much of what we love about television should and must be paid fairly and equitably, and we will stand with them until they reach that goal. For everyone's sake, and for the sake of television, we hope both sides can come to an agreement quickly."

And all of the other bloggers in on the original plan (I came to the party late...) posted the following addresses of the networks who won't bargain in good faith:

ABC 500 South Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521 (818) 460-7777

FOX 10201 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 (310) 369-1000

CBS 7800 Beverly Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 575-2345

NBC / Universal 100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA 91608 (818) 777-1000

I was planning on going to the strike being held today at 5th and 55th to see if I could help out by marching or whatever. However, I was struck by what I can only call Rupert Murdoch's Revenge during my overnight shift at work. Only got home by the seat of my pants.

As Robin would say on 'HIMYM', "Literally."

I will get out there, and soon. As this strike drags on, I'm sure they'll really need the added support down the line.

The last writers' strike was mostly a blur for me; I barely remember a song parody by the Smothers Brothers about it. But the introduction of the blogs and fan-based websites of news and opinion will help change that, perhaps even shape the debate. Bouncing around the internet, I can see that the writers have public opinion heavily on their side, which may bring the strike to an end far sooner than the last one.

One can only hope.

BCnU!

Toby OB

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!