A Word (or three) From Harlan….

HARLAN ELLISON ON THE WRITERS STRIKE SETTLEMENT

YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO RE-POST THIS ANYWHERE:

Creds: got here in 1962, written for just about everybody, won the Writers Guild Award four times for solo work, sat on the WGAw Board twice, worked on negotiating committees, and was out on the picket lines with my NICK COUNTER SLEEPS WITH THE FISHE$$$ sign. You may have heard my name. I am a Union guy, I am a Guild guy, I am loyal. I fuckin’ LOVE the Guild.

And I voted NO on accepting this deal.

My reasons are good, and they are plentiful; Patric Verrone will be saddened by what I am about to say; long-time friends will shake their heads; but this I say without equivocation…

THEY BEAT US LIKE A YELLOW DOG. IT IS A SHIT DEAL. We finally got a timorous generation that has never had to strike, to get their asses out there, and we had to put up with the usual cowardly spineless babbling horse’s asses who kept mumbling “lessgo bac’ta work” over and over, as if it would make them one iota a better writer. But after months on the line, and them finally bouncing that pus-sucking dipthong Nick Counter, we rushed headlong into a shabby, scabrous, underfed shovelfulla shit clutched to the affections of toss-in-the-towel summer soldiers trembling before the Awe of the Alliance.

My Guild did what it did in 1988. It trembled and sold us out. It gave away the EXACT co-terminus expiration date with SAG for some bullshit short-line substitute; it got us no more control of our words; it sneak-abandoned the animator and reality beanfield hands before anyone even forced it on them; it made nice so no one would think we were meanies; it let the Alliance play us like the village idiot. The WGAw folded like a Texaco Road Map from back in the day.

And I am ashamed of this Guild, as I was when Shavelson was the prexy, and we wasted our efforts and lost out on technology that we had to strike for THIS time. 17 days of streaming tv!!!????? Geezus, you bleating wimps, why not just turn over your old granny for gang-rape?

You deserve all the opprobrium you get. While this nutty festschrift of demented pleasure at being allowed to go back to work in the rice paddy is filling your cowardly hearts with joy and relief that the grips and the staff at the Ivy and street sweepers won’t be saying nasty shit behind your back, remember this:

You are their bitches. They outslugged you, outthought you, outmaneuvered you; and in the end you ripped off your pants, painted yer asses blue, and said yes sir, may I have another.

Please excuse my temerity. I’m just a sad old man who has fallen among Quislings, Turncoats, Hacks and Cowards.

I must go now to whoops. My gorge has become buoyant.

Respectfully, Yr. Pal, Harlan Ellison

Oh, Shit….

So, I was reading a movie news site this morning and came across spoilers for the new Star Trek film that J.J. Abrams is working on. It sounded good. Really good, in fact. Got me geeked. Until I ran across another article and realized that nobody had consulted Harlan Ellison about the use of the Guardian from his episode, City On The Edge of Forever.

“If [director J.J.] Abrams — with whom I’m currently on strike — or anyone else at Paramount or elsewhere, thinks they’re going to use my creations — whether the City, the Guardians, Sister Edith Keeler or any elements created by Harlan Ellison … they had damned well better lose the unilateral arrogance, get in touch with me or my agent Marty Shapiro and be prepared to pay for the privilege of mining the lode I own.” 

There’s a couple of thing to keep at the front of your mind here. The first is that the Guardian is not a crucial element to the story. The only thing required is a time travel device. That could be accomplished many ways. Using the Guardian would be a nice touch, and perhaps easier to explain than a new device, but it’s not necessary. The second thing to remember is that we’re dealing with a rumor. If it’s even in the script, it may be a brand new draft, and it may not be locked in yet.

If they haven’t even decided to use it, the script probably hasn’t been through legal. Hell, it might not have gotten out of the production teams’ hands, the studio may not have even seen it. Or maybe it has and J.J. and crew are waiting till after the strike to approach and negotiate with Harlan. Maybe J.J. is still trying to convince Paramount that shelling out money so they can use the Guardian is a good idea.

There’s no way to tell yet, but having a bunch of people on the net stirring things up with Harlan over an unsupported rumor (especially when he’s already wound up over the strike) seems irresponsible and downright unpleasant.

Somebody needs to make a few phone calls and have a nice, rational conversation. In private. This isn’t our business, it’s between Harlan, J.J. and Paramount. At least until the facts are clear.