Dinner with Saul Goodman, a personal song from the cast of Bob’s Burgers… and a painting of your dog by John Lithgow?
These are a few of the quirky experiences up for grabs as a host of celebrities including Lena Dunham and Adam Scott donate their time to fundraise for the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
The initiative comes from a group of striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members who founded The Union Solidarity Coalition, which aims to connect industry workers across unions, even those not on strike.
“We want to acknowledge that what you’re going through right now is not easy. We know when you refuse to cross our picket line, you risk being reprimanded, losing a day’s pay (or much more) and you have to go home empty-handed,” coalition founders wrote in an open letter to crew members.
“The irony of this happening during a labour movement where we’re advocating for everyone’s work to be valued and compensated fairly is infuriating to us.”
Proceeds from the winning bids – which on various eBay auctions are in the multiple thousands of dollars – will go into an aid fund for crew members who have lost their health insurance because of loss of work from the writers’ strike.
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Currently the highest bid is for $9,100 (£7,318) on a listing advertising that Bob Odenkirk – who plays the character Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad – and David Cross will join you for dinner in New York or Los Angeles.
The pair are “real life besties”, the listing says, and co-created the comedy series Mr Show.
Other popular listings include:
– The cast of Bob’s Burgers will sing a song written just for you
– Actor John Lithgow will paint a watercolour portrait of your dog
– Adam Scott will walk your dog for an hour (doesn’t have to be the same dog)
– A Zoom hangout with Zooey Deschanel and the cast of New Girl
“While the studios’ inaction prolongs the strikes, the creative community has turned to taking care of each other,” a WGA spokesperson told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.