Television and Film Stars Join Writers on Picket Line

Julianne Moore schmoozed with Nora Ephron. Robin Williams chatted up David Duchovny. Richard Belzer walked one dog and toted another in a zippered bag.Film festival? Premiere?No, it was the picket line in front of Time Warner Center yesterday, the fourth day of a strike by TV and film writers over getting a share of new media profits.No new negotiations have been scheduled on the main sticking points between the Writers Guild of America and producers: payments from DVDs and shows offered on the Internet.“They claim there’s no money in the Internet,” Mr. Williams said, one of about 80 people carrying picket signs at the Time Warner offices. “That’s a shell game.”He added, “Without the writers, I don’t got anything to say except for interviews, where I’m allowed to riff.”In Los Angeles, Ray Romano brought bagels, fruit, and orange juice for strikers outside the landmark gate at Paramount Studios. Governor Schwarzenegger, who relied on writers for memorable lines during his movie career, should help get stalled contract talks restarted.“‘I’ll be back’ — somebody wrote that. He didn’t make that up,” Mr. Romano said.Roseanne Barr, Holly Hunter, and David Hyde Pierce also joined the New York picket line.Some actors were marching in solidarity with the writers while others, including Tim Robbins and Mr. Duchovny, are writers themselves and are members of the guild.“This is not about millionaire screenwriters,” Mr. Robbins said. “This is about middle-class writers trying to support a family and make mortgage payments.”Ms. Ephron, known for such films as “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” is a second-generation Writers Guild member. Her parents, Phoebe and Henry Ephron, wrote screenplays for films including “Desk Set” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”“I am a total, die-hard supporter of the guild,” Mr. Ephron said. “We have to have a share of this, whatever it turns out to be.”

Television and Film Stars Join Writers on Picket Line

Television and Film Stars Join Writers on Picket Line

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