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WGA Mutant Enemy Fan Strike Day
Suzanne the Button Lady on 2/1/2008
After days and almost weeks of fans casually suggesting (and sometimes more than casually) that we show up en masse to support the WGA, and specifically Mutant Enemy, the day was finally upon us.
December 7th. Yeah. Well, I'm not even gonna go there.
Arriving early in the parking lot down the street, slowly we gathered at 8 o’clock in the morning. People in brown coats began to arrive, and you knew. People in Writer’s Strike Red arrived, and you knew. People with Jayne hats, people with Writer’s Strike t-shirts, people with personally made posters all showed up in the parking lot adjacent to Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, and began hanging out, hollering to each other and preparing for the cold, rainy day that we were expecting. Despite it all, we were going to show our support.
Name tags had been made with a Grr/Arg logo, so there could be no mistake why the group of us were there. Also made for our benefit was a big, slap-on sticker with an empty line, “_______ Fans Support the Writers”, so that those of us who hadn’t planned ahead could still personalize our signs. And even at this point, the support food had already begun to arrive. Donuts, coffee. Oh, the coffee.
After a bit of time, our organizer, Adam Levermore-Rich, jumped up on a light post and made some announcements to the group about the rules and general information for the day. (Rules: This is not a convention. Information: The parking lot was waiving their typical restrictions about parking for the day…just for us).
So, there we were. En Masse the group of about 200 fans (it grew to about 400 before the day ended) walked up the street together to the Writer’s Strike.
Already, there were tables set up for refreshments. And sharpies. Oh, the sharpies!
While we were all gathered trying to sign-in and get our signs and personalize our signs, I overheard someone…I have NO idea who, so don’t ask…just someone say to another person, “You can’t say they can’t get organized, can you?” Hehe. Yes. Yes, it’s true.
Personally, I had to take a few moments with my sign. You see, I’m old enough to remember the LAST Writer’s Strike. During that strike the TV show that was THE show to watch was Moonlighting. Then, the Writer’s Strike hit, and there were no new episodes right at a very crucial point in the storyline. Of course, other things happened in the interim, too, but by the time they cobbled together a few new shows, it was too little too late. The decision had been made to let them have sex. Yes. Sex. And thus, the show died a horrible, horrible death.
So, my personalized sign said, “Remember Moonlighting. Don’t Let it Happen Again!”
I felt just a little odd having a sign that didn’t mention a Mutant Enemy show, but get this: A tall, chocolate man with a smile the size of the sun came straight up to ME when he first arrived, and greeted me, asking very energetically what my sign all about was. I told him, and because he was so buoyantly friendly, I gave him his choice of a few buttons that I had on my scarf. He was about to pick a “Numfar” button, but then turned to JOSS FLIPPING WHEDON who happened to be standing right there, and said, “Oh, unless you want this one.” They both laughed, and Joss said no, Mr. J. AUGUST FLIPPING RICHARDS could have it instead. I asked if I could put it on him, and his continued exuberance fueled me even further to dare to ask for a picture. ::sigh::
That being my personal sparkling shining moment of the day, generally what I saw for other fans was the simple ability to walk casually next to some of your heroes and BDHs for an informal, yet pointed cause.
After only an hour or so the sun came out and blessed our day. Coats were torn off, friends were sent back to cars with piles of I-don’t-really-need-this items. No rain! And yet, in planning for the rain, you may see many pictures of people with signs kept in their plastic covers.
Personally, the amount of autographing requests I saw could be counted on one hand. And the actual picture requests from fans…counted on two. So I think we were very good. Joss was seen speaking to fans nonstop because he’s…well, he’s Joss. There were a lot of our heroes (BDH or otherwise) who glommed onto each other being glad to see their coworkers and friends again. Often fans were with each other and our celebs were with each other, because, honestly, that’s who we all have the most in common with. Many of our women heroes had friends who hung out with them all day, this writer believes, just in case, if you know what I mean. But it NEVER stopped them from talking to fans and press and generally being friendly.
One person who arrived alone, no escort, only her cute little booted self was our Summer Glau. Yet, as she approached my location (which was on the fringe of the crowd), she got on her cell phone. My heart dropped. Oh. She was doing the “cell phone” trick.
As she continued to approach my side-group of fans with signs (we were crossing the street), she then took the phone away from her ear! Oh my god! It wasn’t a trick! Calloo! Callay!
Still feeling that she was a little bit apprehensive about the crowd, I dared to sidle up to her, hoping I wouldn’t spook her. I directed her to a couple areas that were quieter, and where the fans weren’t going, either by accident or by designated organized fans walling off the area. She made no mention of needing such a thing, which made me smile, and she said she was trying to call Joss, and where was he? I was able to aim her in that general direction (Joss was way in the midst of everything). During this time we were all in the process of crossing the street, and she was answering another fan’s question about when Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles would premiere. That’s when I got this picture:
Isn’t she just gorgeous?
During the course of the day the food table grew and shrank, grew and shrank. I heard rumors about pizza at one point, and saw people eating it, but I was having too much fun walking back and forth, having celeb sightings over and over again, that I, personally, didn’t bother! (Those chocolate-dipped custard-filled cream horns are another story. I must know where they come from!) Yet, on the subject of food, early in the day I saw some Krispy Kremes arrive. Well, actually a LOT of Krispy Kremes. Then, I overheard a young lady address a man on site and she said, “Can you tell Joss that there are 70 boxes from Sarah Michelle?” (Pictured is my friend Alison who’s old foot injury betrayed her very early in the day. She, instead, sat vigil over Sarah Michelle’s donuts.)
Sadly, keep in mind that I haven’t had the opportunity to meet many writers. So, if I saw them, I wouldn’t necessarily recognize them. What follows is a list of the people that I saw and personally recognized: Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, J. August Richards, Juliet Landau, Ron Glass, Eliza Dushku, Morena Baccarin, Michael Fairman, The FeldmanTwins, Ben Edlund, Camden Toy, William Mapother. The people who I had to be told I saw were David Fury, Felicia Day, Tim Minear and Ben Edlund.
Oh, and Ben Edlund has the most adorable little “Shirley Temple” of a daughter, too.
Then, there was the GOD. Let me say this: I have met a few celebrities. With all the celebrities here, I only have met a couple of them, and I was fine, just fine. I’ve been to many conventions. I met Steve Allen at a Burger King! I walked into Weird Al in line for pizza at Comic Con! I have never, NEVER (not even when meeting J. August) been reduced to giggles…fan giggles…embarrassing fan giggles…as I was when I saw THIS guy right in front of me:
Yeah. Not Joss. The OTHER guy. The GOD. Oooooo. He’s just yummy! (guttural noises)
It took me a while, but I managed to pluck up the courage to walk up to him. I didn’t dare look in his eyes, not even with the sunglasses. It would have been too much. I told him that in “this” community, I’m known as The Button Lady, and here, I have a button for you. I gave him a button with a picture of him on it which says, “Nothing Can Defeat the Penis.” He laughed, and wore it.
So a little bit later, I saw Felicia Day walking next to him, and just by accident I happened to have a button that said, “Potential Slayer”. Perfect! So I walked up to her, as I she was walking and talking with Nick (::sigh:: Nick) and said, “Hi, I’m known as the Button Lady…” And Nick interrupted me. He said, “Yeah! Yeah, she is!!!” (::sigh:: Nick knows me. ::sigh:: ::Nick::) And I gave her the button. She actually squeeeeeed! How about that, People?! I Fangirled someone!
Oh, and Alan Tudyk showed up just before everything ended.
But all too soon the day was over, with bull horned thanks from Joss. Fans (with a couple of shout outs that help was needed) pitched in and had that street sparkling fresh and new as if we had never been there in a matter of minutes. The fans departed to the after-strike picnic and the celebs either went home, or went out to lunch with each other. But never someone to turn down some good food, Camden Toy came to the picnic with us. I got there a little late with my group, because we were sooooo cold again and there was a hunt for whose coat ended up in whose car.
So, when I finally arrived at the picnic, there was a line to wait in for food. Not too long, not too bad. Most people were sitting down and eating already. Then The Man came. Yes, Joss came to the picnic. I saw him walk up, avoiding the food line, and I just couldn’t help it: “Hey! Hey, you! You can’t go ahead of me in line! No! You get back here!” His response: “Oh, yes. Yes, I am! You watch me! I’m going!”
He plays along so well.
Joss never ate. All he did was talk with fans. And the fans were so tired and hungry by this time, he was never inundated by more than 6 or 8 at any one time. And you know that thing he said about not signing anything? Yeah. Not true. Let’s qualify that, shall we? He said he didn’t have to bring out HIS sharpies. Never said he didn’t autograph anything. That’s our Joss.
And with a final call for “Photo Op time!” (and only a few takers), Joss climbed up on a waiting white stallion and rode off into the sunset.
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From The Eyes and The Ears of The 'Verse...
