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Protesters who gathered outside Warner Bros. in Burbank today found themselves buoyed by a singular presence: Flavor Flav. The hip-hop icon turned reality star appeared to cheers from the gathered WGA supporters.
Dressed in a festive yellow and blue tracksuit and wearing a red (for him) watch around his neck, Nemesis also brought a boom box and blasted the ensemble classic “Fight the Power”.
Maybe better, I brought Flav a lot of food.
“A true spread of burgers and pizza at Warner Bros. Courtesy of Flava Flav!” books Abbott Elementary Writer and producer Brittany Nichols tweeted above a photo of the rapper serving up no fewer than a dozen boxes of grub.
Flav later met with Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, who himself was camped out in the Burbank area. The duo exchanged a hand slap, a hug, and “Nice to meet you.”
At Fox in the Century City, writer Richard LaGravene and actress Gina Gershon walked together. Gershon told Deadline that she’s been on two picket lines in New York, where she lives, and the scene there is more vibrant because it’s concentrated, not scattered among several studios, as it is in Los Angeles.
Regarding solidarity, the actress said, “I kind of wish we were all hitting at the same time.”
She may get her wish soon.
“This will be over faster,” replied LaGravene.
Related: WGA Strike Pictures: Stars, writers, dissidents, and their supporters on the picket line
When asked about the SAG leadership asking for a vote on permission to strike, Gershon replied: “Yes, we have to strike. … Everyone is asking for the same thing, in the end. … It’s a different model. People need to make amends here. Nothing outrageous here. It’s far away.” “
Watch the full interview below.
Back in Burbank, a huge crowd turned out for Disney, no wonder. The event included a Newsies Singalong, with sheet music for those who don’t know the words. Video clips below.
In New York, WGA members and supporters stepped outside MoffettNathanson’s inaugural Technology, Media and Communications Conference, where Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav was giving the presentation.
RELATED: Rival contestants should band together: David Zaslav Suggests If We Don’t Do It Ourselves ‘It Will Be Done To Us’
Oddly (or some would say symbolic), the building across from the Westin was on fire, and there was a large fire department presence. The picket lines had been on both sides of the street for an hour or so, with about 40 people marching directly in front of the Westin and 100 across the street.
The audience’s favorite cheers? “Hey/Hey/Corporate greed has got to go” and “If we don’t get contracts, shut it down.”
New York Comptroller Brad Lander appeared briefly to talk about the strike.
“It takes human creativity to fuel this work,” he said. “This creativity has fueled New York’s economy.”
Two of the attendees were SAG member Zoe Kazan and her mother, WGA West member, Robin Swicord. Actress Samantha Mathis was also there.
Some of the more striking signs Deadline has seen say, “Is this 1984?!” and “scavenge robots”.
When asked why the strike was so important to her, Kazan replied, “Writers are the backbone of our industry and it’s one of the things I love about the film industry. It’s a collaborative medium and everyone on a set matters. The group makes a movie or a TV show, and we’re here to protect our future.”
Swicord noted: “The way they’ve set it up now, they’re taking advantage of every possible loophole that can exist in a contract so that the next generation of presenters, writers, writers’ assistants, etc. is robbed of a future. It’s imperative that we get a contract that allows us to make a living. They used to.” To make a living as a receiver especially by the hangover – which we are being robbed of.”
When asked to respond to the assertion that the interests of the cast differed from those of the writers, Kazan replied, “We are all in the same boat as we are looking toward the future.”
Swordsman, who said that this was the fifth strike that she was involved in, noticed that there was unity between the Guilds and Guilds this time around.
“This time we have the full support of the Teamsters. They will not cross our picket line. In the past, others would pass us on their way to a studio interview. Everyone feels the hurt of what happens in this industry when a few companies and corporations control all the wealth.”
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