It looks like the actors are going on strike

[The Lady Eve]

If you want to know how all too many actors live take a look at this blog. I saw this actor last summer and he was terrific. Accidentally ran across his blog while looking for something else.

Some excerpts:

February: This is my last weekend off until April 19. Rehearsals start on Tuesday for the play, Monday is the only day off once we begin, and I've realized I definately need to temp on those Mondays I have off, because of how broke I'm going to be. How broke I am.

I earn $200 a week while in this show, and can't find a job in the interim because rehearsals are from 12-6. I'm sleeping on the floor in my $700 dollar room, because the girl whose room I'm subletting, came to pick up her bed this week. I don't have the money for a new one right now. I'm in an Off-Broadway show, with a 2 time Tony award winner, and one of the stars of "24".

April: This week I'm going to turn 34... There are so many thoughts going around in my head right now. Daily. I owe the $700 dollars for my rent, I have 3/4 of it, and don't know where the rest will come from, I really don't... I'm working freelance with this guy doing handyman/construction work... he's not calling me that much, so I have no income... I'm committed to the play for the rest of the week. Until then I can't get a night job, which is what I need to get, since I've just started working with these agents, who hopefully will be sending me out everyDAY for auditions... I have no income... my rent for April is past due... May is coming up...

The Conscientious Objector closes tomorrow night. We've got 2 shows tomorrow, one at 2pm, and one at 8pm... I'll miss the role, but not the pay. This has been so hard financially to accomodate I can't even begin to explain. Aside from the actual expenses, the emotional expense, not being able to do all I need for myself or my family, all for the sake of "my art". To put it back into the weird perspective that I live in, I left a $650/week "temp" job, to play a leading role in an Off-Broadway play, for $200/week.

I start training at the pizza place, on Monday. Unless I pick up a handyman gig.

May: Today I worked my first real full shift by myself as a waiter at Johns...


Acting The Part

 

[Temis the Vorta]

No, they're not. The amount of living big-name actors you can name probably dies out by around 100, maybe 200 if you're a big modern day film buff (and who is, really?). The amount of actors whose names you don't know, or who are struggling to pay the rent each month, is staggering. Do you think the kid who understudies the role of Gavroche in an Atlanta production of Les Miserables is riding around in a BMW, sipping martinis and going on dates with Dakota Fanning? 'Cause I don't.

It's Hollywood. They're all wiping their asses with $100.00 bills, and have golden toliets in every room of their 550 room mansions.

I'm not a film buff either. Just remembering what I read about the casts of FRIENDS and SEINFELD.

Uh just pointing out that this post attributes someone else's post to me. Or would have, if it hadn't been snipped out.

 

[Captain Craig]

One has to wonder quite what's wrong with the AMPTP.

It's called Dubya Syndrome, wherein the afflicted encounter any multitude of problems and, instead of manning up and meeting them head-on, they remove themselves from the situation and go crying to Daddy. Alternatively, they very easily could throw the same solution at any number of disparate issues.

In other words: nice going, morons.

You just attempted to make a political statement that is totally non-sequitor. Good job.

 

[Ben Sisko3]

One has to wonder quite what's wrong with the AMPTP.

It's called Dubya Syndrome, wherein the afflicted encounter any multitude of problems and, instead of manning up and meeting them head-on, they remove themselves from the situation and go crying to Daddy. Alternatively, they very easily could throw the same solution at any number of disparate issues.

In other words: nice going, morons.

You just attempted to make a political statement that is totally non-sequitor. Good job.

You just attempted to insult me for restating something everyone who walked the picket lines in the last strike was saying.

But seriously, political "statement"? I'm not burning my draft card here. It was a joke. If I wanted to make a statement, I'd be shooting documentaries, not posting on a Star Trek message board.

 

[Captain Shaw]

If they strike could actors work in other country's like the UK?

 

[Ghost Rider]

Just a guess.If they did that they could find themselves blacklisted

 

[Frontier]

*Groans*

They better fucking finish Galactica's final season, first.

Then, they can go willy-nilly and strike.

I do not think a strike will last long, though. The writers, they could work around. Without any actors for any TV or movies, nor doing publicity for the stuff... my god. Hollywood will bleed money from the ass.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Just a guess.If they did that they could find themselves blacklisted

If they're working on anything that is going to have an American audience, yeah. I don't think SAG is going to let them get away with that sort of dodge.

 

[Swarles Barkley]

So where's AFTRA in all this? I know SAG represents more talent overall, but how does it break down for TV? Are there a lot of actors who are in both SAG and AFTRA? As I recall, it was a pretty big break in tradition that AFTRA decided to negotiate with AMPTP separately from SAG this time around. Let's say that AFTRA is able to negotiate an agreement with AMPTP but SAG isn't. What does that do to the upcoming TV season?

And do I have enough frakking acronyms in this post?