Among the top names trying to help with the ongoing writer’s strike are Drew Carey and George Clooney. Carey has made sure that writers don’t go hungry while they’re picketing. He made an arrangement with Hollywood diners that he would personally cover the checks of anyone who comes in and shows their WGA cards!

Bighearted Drew Carey’s kept it hush-hush, but he’s secretly buying lunch and dinner for all picketing writers in LA and Hollywood for the duration of the… strike. Drew quietly made arrangements with area diners like Norms, Swingers, Mel’s and Denny’s - so all the writers have to do is flash their WGA cards and get fed!

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker’s column, January 21, 2008]

Drew doesn’t even need writers for his game show “The Price is Right,” so that’s incredible of him to do! Carey is known for his generosity and even took all the crew members and their family from his new show on an all-expenses paid weekend trip to Las Vegas when he first started the job.

George Clooney is also trying to help striking writers. He wants to set up an all-star “mediation panel” to help negotiate a deal between the writers and studios. He plans to be on the panel, and is trying to get director Steven Spielberg and fellow actor Tom Hanks involved:

Hollywood’s Triple-A list actors have started becoming integrally involved in trying to solve the Writers Guild strike against the Hollywood CEOs. I’ve just been told that George Clooney today is volunteering to personally set up a so-called “mediation panel” including himself and with plans to ask Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and John Wells (the executive producer of ER and a controversial ex-WGA president) to be part of it, plus 3 or 4 bigwigs who are siding with the producers.

[From The Huffington Post]

Tom Hanks has also spoken out about the writer’s strike and urged the studios to get back to the bargaining table. At the premiere of Charlie Wilson’s War he said that many people have been affected by the strike and that they need to be considered too:

“There are caterers and carpenters … and electricians and gaffers,” the 51-year-old said. “There are a lot of people out there associated with the industry, for whom the sooner this work stoppage is over the better.

“I just hope that the big guys who make big decisions up high in their corporate boardrooms and what not get down to honest bargaining and everyone can get back to work.”

[From Reuters.com]

Now that the Golden Globes have been canceled there’s a huge concern that the Oscars, scheduled for February 24, won’t go on due to the strike. It’s no wonder that the big stars are stepping up and trying to solve the problem. Hopefully the strike will be resolved soon or we’re looking at a lot less original content and films for the future.

Drew Carey is shown on 9/4/07 in NY, thanks to WENN. George Clooney is shown at the People’s Choice Awards on 1/7/08, thanks to PRPhotos. Here are more pictures of Clooney at the People’s Choice Awards looking slightly goofy.