Helgenberger Joins The Picket Line

CSI Files

CSI Files

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<font color=yellow>Marg Helgenberger</font> stands alongside the writers.

On Monday, a group of more than 60 writers formed a picket line outside of the Universal Studios lot where CSI: Crime Scene Investigation films. Helgenberger was not scheduled to film for CSI that day, so she joined the picket line and held a placard. "I'm in total solidarity with them," she told the Hollywood Insider.

Helgenberger said that this was her first opportunity to picket in Hollywood. "I'm glad to be standing alongside these people," she explained. "If there was ever a time in history to stand up, this is it. This is where you draw the line in the sand." After the negotiations this past weekend, Helgenberger was not surprised that the strike occurred. "I had my doubts about things moving forward," she said, and went on to say that she had been hopeful that the last-minute discussions would be successful. "It's sad it has come to this," she said. "Nobody wanted this to happen. Nobody."

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) put a full-page ad in the trades last week. The ad was headed with the phrase "Pencils Down Means Pencils Down". It went on to say that writing scripts during the strike "undermines the very cause for which we’re fighting" and that doing so "sends the wrong message to those who honor our picket lines." At the bottom of the ad was a list of showrunners who vowed that, in the event of a strike, they would "do no writing and no story breaking — nor will any be asked of our writing staffs — until we get a deal." Among the showrunners whose names appeared were <font color=yellow>Carol Mendelsohn</font> and <font color=yellow>Naren Shankar</font> from CSI and <font color=yellow>Pamela Veasey</font> from CSI: New York.

The article about Helgenberger's participation in the picket line is from the Hollywood Insider. The WGA ad can be read here.<center></center>
 
It's good to see the cast getting out and voicing the opnions as well. Jay Leno kjoined the picket line the other day as well. I hope more of the CSI cast joins and other celebs do too. Strength in numbers!
 
I have to be honest and say that three days in and I'm already bored of this topic. :lol: I'm not surprised to see in the news that many actors and actresses are supporting the strike, although my cynical side says that it is actually a rather self serving attitude that has them joining the picket lines themselves... Of course, they will be watching events rather closely whilst the Screen Actors Guild figure out how to go about getting the best deal for their members come the end of their contract. :rolleyes:

I'm not sure that saying 'if there was ever a time in history to stand up, this is it', will illicit much support from people outside of the entertainment industry. There have been many better reasons to strike in the past, it's all a matter of perspective. And what about the many people who are struggling to survive as it is in the entertainment industry, how will this be affecting them? I'm guessing they are much worse off than the writers, many of whom can obviously either afford not to get paid for months on end, or actually feel that strongly about an extra $0.02 for every DVD that they don't fear losing their homes and bankruptcy.

OK, I'm generalising a lot here, I don't know or profess to know all the facts (or in fact understand many of the sticking points to their proposed deal) but I think the consequences to the industry as a whole, and to many individuals is potentially huge and threatens livelihoods and futures. Of course the entertainment industry is rich and sharing the wealth doesn't seem to be a strong point, but there are still more important things in this world. [/rant]. :D
 
I agree that a lot of people are supporting this action for their own good, especially since SAG's contract is due soon. However, I don't think this has anything do to with the situation that a lot of people are struggling in the industry. It is true that the writers are getting way less than they really deserve while they're just as important as the producers, the directors, the actors and, most of all, the production/distribution companies and the networks. In my opinion, it's not about how much they actually make but about whether they get their fair share. I hope they'll work out soon because nobody wants to see repeats on TV over and over. Then, if these writers have good hearts, maybe they'll use the extra money to help those who are struggling to survive in showbiz. ;)
 
fifty8th said:
Do we know how many episodes the CSI's had in the can before the strike?
Click to expand...
In another thread, Hormiga posted this link that lists the number of episodes for various series. For the CSIs, it only mentions Miami and says, "Will have 13 out of 24 episodes completed."
 
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