News from the Strike Lines - Day 3

On The Line: Writers Strike News, Day 3

Reports from Disney gate tell me the showrunners are out in full force. One estimate that "there must be over 120 people overflowing the sidewalks". And here I'd always been told there was a shortage of showrunners in the TV industry...

WGA press bulletin that Grey's Anatomy stars Katherine Heigl and Sandra Oh and T.R. Knight will walk the picket line at Prospect Studios in Los Angeles today. As I mentioned yesterday, the next weeks and months are going to be heaven on earth for tourists from around the world hoping to catch glimpses of TV and movie celebrities in their new natural habitats: the picket lines. This could also pump up the local economy, folks. If anyone in Los Angeles city government had a brain, they'd market the hell out of this.

In fact, all 15 strike locations could be the next big thing in terms of tourist attractions -- bigger than Disneyland, bigger than Universal Studios Tours. Maybe the WGA should go out and hire the open-air buses and compete with the theme parks.

I'm tipped that Felicity Huffman and husband Bill Macy coming to the Universal main entrance to picket Black Tower today. And I've already reported that 75 showrunners are supposed to be showing up at the Disney gate en masse.

I just heard the WGA is putting together an Internet ad campaign featuring high profile actors expressing support "for the Hollywood talent community's creative rights". Note to agents and flacks: this could get very competitive...

UPDATE - so these are who the 'showrunners' are...

In an extraordinary show of power and solidarity, some 70-plus showrunners, from series as varied as CBS' Numb3rs to Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, walked the picket line Wednesday in front of the Disney lot in Burbank, CA. Virtually every primetime show was represented on the line by its exec producer. Among the showrunners marching alongside WGA West President Patric Verrone were Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (Lost), Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy), John Wells (ER), Steve Levitan (Back to You), Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds, pictured with star Shemar Moore), Bill Lawrence (Scrubs), Kevin Falls (Journeyman), Greg Berlanti (Dirty Sexy Money, Brothers & Sisters), Seth MacFarland (Family Guy), Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives), Greg Garcia (My Name is Earl), Joss Whedon (the upcoming Doll House), and Carol Mendelsohn (CSI).