I am completely transfixed by the WGA strike and find myself refreshing Nikki Finke's site several times a day. As erratic as a writer as she is, she seems to be the only one doing the heavy lifting in terms of reporting. I am personally still chuckling at Jon Stewart, who managed to pretty much lay the whole thing out in typical tongue-in-cheek fashion.
I cannot believe how many non-WGA writers I know who think the Guild is being greedy and unreasonable. It is almost always a case of them not understanding the industry or the issues on the table, together with a little resentment at not being in the motion picture business. I had a friend-client (friendly client?) who is a successful (read: working) screenwriter call me today on an unrelated matter and we shared a laugh that we were both behind the Guild on this. The WGA is one nutty organization when it comes to mediating credit disputes, as he and I both learned during his dispute, but the Guild is pretty good about advocating on behalf of writers generally.
Also, I fell in love with a writer this weekend. I read this article from a link on Finke's page and was completely enchanted with the writer's voice. I have never, ever, sent an unsolicited email to a writer to praise him for his work, but Mr. Donnelly, the deputy editor of LA Weekly, got fan mail, and I now have a new friend. Wow. I have such admiration for people who can write like that. Also, my abiding crush on Sean Penn remains firmly intact. Whether or not you agree with his politics, which I do, he is genuinely and passionately opinionated, and those opinions are informed, which I find so damn attractive.
There are days when I think I could leave this city and move to the City of Angels. Today is one of those days. I think the only thing keeping me here at this point is my love for Seattle and the idea that three of the four siblings are local. I would lose my mind in LA after a year, if not sooner, but it is still something I have in the back of my mind. As between SF (and surrounding areas) and LA, I would much rather live in SF, but my interests and industry are in the most soulless city in the country.
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2 comments:
Hahahah, this is an epochal, rare moment, because you have provoked me into defending Los Angeles. Bob knows how much I hate the place, but ...
Everything bad you've ever seen or heard or imagined about the place is true, but for soulless. LA is many things but not soulless. It's a twisted, schizoid soul with more personalities than Sybil, but it's got a soul. And there's some beauty in it; it can be saved. Check out Caleb Coppola's photos for the evidence.
And yeah, the "love-hate" switch has been pressed firmly over to "love" since we saw Blade Runner Sunday night. I'm now thinking hard about a get up early and make dim sum in Chinatown trip, only the $3.30 a gallon gas prices stopping me now ...
You know what? I actually love LA. LA the city, not the burbs. My sister lives in LA and I got a real taste of it last visit.
All that said, it is a town of appearances, and I am a student of the soul. Also, the weather rarely changes, unless there is a fire.
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