“Well, try visiting Ellison’s website and reading his lawsuit. He cites the WGA contract and the law.”

He cites these, yes… but Ellison is not a lawyer, and I was asking for those of you who supposedly know better to enlighten the rest of us. There have clearly been exceptions to the WGA contract over the years for various reasons, and my understanding of it is that it is still superseded by certain contracts made between writers and studios both before and after the 1966 change.

Your response to me was to instruct me to go to Ellison’s web site. Reiterating the opinion of ONE SIDE of an argument does not serve to educate others on BOTH sides of the argument, nor on the legal nuances involved. Clearly you’re just an Ellison cheerleader who wants people like me to shut up. Nice, but hardly instructive.

“Hmm, well then how ’bout you stop ranting and raving about how evil the man is.”

I wasn’t aware that I had done this in the slightest. In fact I had nice things to say about the man’s talents, and said them. That you read my criticisms of his public persona and behavior as “ranting and raving about how evil (he) is” indicates, again, that you’re nothing but a biased fan who can’t stand to hear your hero derided.

I do not know Harlan Ellison personally—though a cousin of mine DID know Ellison personally, back in the 70s. (Not that that means a thing—I simply report it as a fact, and don’t offer it as support for anything I’ve said). I base my judgements of him on his writings and his public statements and actions. From where I stand and from what I observe, the man is not the highly professional, but angry do-gooder his fans like to paint him as, and what he seems to believe about himself.

It’s curious, also, that you somehow found anything I said (but perhaps you were referring to others who have posted here) as being a support for Paramount or any other studio. Quite the contrary; I made it clear that the studios, like any corporate entities, are not to be trusted, and they’re well-known for sticking it to the little guy (in this case writers) all the time.

What I take issue with, however, is the apparent notion that Ellison is due a piece of Star Trek (or at least any of it that emanates from the characters and concepts he created originating from the one episode he wrote for the show) when it is most definitely NOT clear that he is due any such thing, contractually. Ellison MAY be in the right—I didn’t deny that and don’t. Surely there’s been times in his ridiculously litigious life that Ellison has had a valid point and been correct—and I hope at those times that he won. But what rankles me is this automatic assumption going around that because ELLISON says it is so, then it must be so.

I’ve followed his career for decades and have come away with a bad taste in my mouth as a result. This doesn’t translate into hate for the man, however—because again, I don’t KNOW him. I simply find it ridiculous that he’s viewed as some great hero by numerous fans and that his work, which has often been mediocre at best, is held up as an example of greatness in science fiction screenwriting and fiction. I see the value in some of what he’s done, and I recognize his contributions. But beyond that, no thank you.

Well, try visiting Ellison’s website and reading his lawsuit. He cites the WGA contract and the law.

“And please let’s stop this genuflecting at Ellison’s feet, on top of it, okay? ”

Hmm, well then how ’bout you stop ranting and raving about how evil the man is.

Sheesh. It’s about a lawsuit, not whether Ellison is a saint or sinner. Yet you all carry on so. I’m with one of the posters above, why on earth are you all siding with the studios who have acted in bad faith towards artists since their creation??? Very, very odd.

Let’s not forget his feeling up of women over his life at every convention he’s been to, or his touching up Connie Willis’s breast at a Worldcon a few years back-an event he’s NEVER even apologized for. Talk about bad behavior from Paramount-he needs to own up for this.

Hi MGB!! Pardon the expression, but I used to drive one of you in high school! ;>)

#99

Thanks for the “fair use” explanation!