Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2007
MUTANT FANS DESCEND ON FOX
Fans of writer/creator Joss Whedon come together to show their support for
the WGA.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - Joss Whedon's fans have become legendary for their enthusiasm, activism and outspoken support. This Friday they'll exhibit all three as they gather together to join the picket lines of the writers' strike.
From the very first day of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, fans of writer/creator Joss Whedon have been supporting the writers in their struggle for fair compensation. Within the first week Fans4Writers (F4W), an outreach program for fans of all movies and shows, was created to coordinate efforts to support WGA writers with "Food 4 Thought" food drops to strike lines and morale-boosting campaigns.
Now the fans are coming from around the world to gather together at the site of Whedon's former production company Mutant Enemy, home of such shows as "Angel," "Firefly," and the pop culture phenomenon "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," to demonstrate to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that viewers demand a fair deal for the writers they respect.
"I couldn't miss this," said C. A. Bridges, a F4W founder who is flying in from central Florida. "They've done so much for us, the chance to give a little back is wonderful."
On Friday, December 7, 2007, an estimated 150 fans will gather together
for Mutant Enemy Day to picket in front of FOX Studios. To continue the
theme of helping others and the importance of words, Fans4Writers will also
be organizing a book and food drive with the theme of "Feed the Mind,
Feed the Body." The public is urged to bring books and media materials
to be donated to the Santa Monica Public Library, and canned goods and other
non-perishable items for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
"We are honored to be involved in helping organize events such as ME
Day," said Brenda Lawhorn, another F4W founder traveling to ME Day
from Ohio, "to come together not just as fans, writers, and actors
but as people with a common purpose for a just cause; the recognition that
creativity must not be treated as a replaceable and unimportant commodity.
Without the writers, there would be nothing for us to be fans of."
Joining the fans will be Mutant Enemy writers such as Whedon himself, Tim Minear ("Angel," "Firefly," "Drive"), Steven S. DeKnight ("Buffy," "Angel," "Smallville"), Rebecca Kirshner ("Buffy," "Gilmore Girls"), David Fury ("Buffy," "Angel," "Lost," "24"), Jane Espenson ("Buffy," "Angel," "Firefly," "Battlestar Galactica", Ben Edlund ("Angel," "Firefly," "Supernatural"), and Marti Noxon ("Buffy," "Angel," "Gray's Anatomy").
Actors expected to join the march include Eliza Dushku ("Buffy," "Angel," Tru Calling"), Alexis Denisof ("Buffy," "Angel," "How I Met Your Mother"), Nathan Fillion ("Buffy," "Firefly," Serenity, Waitress, "Desperate Housewives"), Summer Glau ("Angel," "Firefly," Serenity, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles"), Amy Acker ("Angel," "Alias," "Ghost Whisperer"), Felicia Day ("Buffy," "The Guild"), and Juliet Landau ("Buffy," "Angel," BioShock).
"Our fans have proven time and again that the audience is now an active force in the entertainment world," Whedon said. "The fact that fans would gather -- and in some cases fly across the country -- not for a convention, not to meet glamorous actors, but to walk the picket line in support of the writers whose stories they cherish, shows how informed, involved and supportive they are. It's a morale boost to the writers, no doubt, but it's also a message to everyone else: the audience matters. Actually, more than any side involved in the negotiations. Without them, we're nothing. With them, we plan to make a little noise."
This is not the first time fans of Whedon's shows have come out in force for a cause. As of today, Whedon fans have raised over $300,000 for various charities in the last decade such as the International Red Cross, the LA Food Bank, and Equality Now.
Mutant Enemy Day will take place in front of FOX Studios, 10201 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90064, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. More details are available at www.fans4writers.com .
MEDIA CONTACTS:
C. A. Bridges - f4wmedia@fans4writers.com - (386) 216-4529
Brenda Lawhorn - (513) 646-6175
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ABOUT FANS4WRITERS: The Fans4Writers Web site and effort are unaffiliated with the Writers Guild of America, except in spirit.
Fans4Writers is unaffiliated with the WGA, except in spirit.
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