Broadway in the dark.

The strike affecting some Broadway theatres is still going on.

It's been some time now, though not long enough for either side to panic, I suspect, but negotiations continue.

Although a union man myself, I am firmly on the side of the producers for this one. My feeling is that the union has it "cushy" with this contract, and there are plenty of people who are making a very comfortable living without doing squat!

Anyone who's listened to me tell my experience working a Broadway shows knows that it drove me crazy that our production had to hire two union men to open the curtain for the show. Two men! My 12 year old daughter could do it by herself! But in union tradition, you can't eliminate a job once it's been established, and at one time, MANY years ago, it did take two men to pull the curtain open. The fact that the system was upgraded means nothing. You used to hire two men, you STILL hire two men.

And that's just the tip of the iceburg.

I hope the producers hold out on this one.

#####

update: 11/29/07

I heard today that they reached an agreement and that shows will be back up and running tonight. I hope the producers held tough.

Encounter of the First Kind.

I had a bizarre experience last night, involving lights in the sky on an over-cast, windy night.

Quite frankly, it left me a bit unnerved, but I'm quite certain that there's a logical explanation for what I saw and that the wind and overcast sky made it appear as something out of the ordinary.

Still, a weird feeling.

Justice.

I am amused.

This morning I read an article in the New York Times about some conservative authors who are suing the conservative book publishing company claiming that their company is practicing some illegal sales manipulation. (You can read the article here.)

The authors are people who clearly are supportive of the Republican and/or Bush presidency. They include the authors of Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry (Jerome Corsi) and Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security (Lt. Col. Robert Patterson) and Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror (Richard Miniter).

Basically, their claim is that their conservative books publisher is offering their books to company-owned book clubs at such deeply discounted prices that the result is no royalties are paid to the authors, or that the books are being given away in large numbers as promotional items and rewards, also resulting in no royalties.

Mr. Miniter is quoted as saying, “We’re not looking for a payoff; we’re looking for justice.”

To me, these authors, who have profitted by their endorsement of the cronyism-filled Republican government and who now face a similarly cronyistic publishing practice ... justice has been served.

NCC 1701

I just finished watching the Heroes episode, titled "Distractions" (from the first season), on Netflix, and I was amused at the little inside joke that was included.

One of the main 'heroes' is a Japanese man (named Hiro), and in this particular episode he is surprised by his father, played by George Takei, whom many will recognize as 'Sulu' from the original Star Trek series. As Takei is leaving the scene, he gets into a limousine with a New York license plate which reads "NCC 1701".

"NCC 1701" also happens to be the call letters on the Star Ship Enterprise, from the original Star Trek series.

Sometimes I enjoy these little inside jokes, but this one did seem overtly obvious.

Aha!

I love it when, writing, things begin to fall into place. When you stumble for a bit, trying to figure out how to get over a hurdle and the answer finally dawns on you.

That moment happened this morning for me.

I've been working on a new one act play. I know the story, the plot, the characters, but I kept hitting a brick wall with one particular transition. I knew what was supposed to happen, but I couldn't get the characters there. As usual, the characters had taken on their own life and now it wasn't natural for them to get where they needed to be. And for a week or more I would look at my screen and read through the script and come to the same wall.

And today I broke through the wall. I realized that these characters couldn't do what I needed and the obvious answer was to bring in a new character. A small part of someone who unwittingly brings the conclusion about. It's brilliant and will work incredibly well within the structure of the play as I've written it.

I love the "AHA!" moment.