As IF things weren’t bad enough with Jimmy Kimmel being pulled from the air (which I am LIVID and terrified about, and of course I’m upset about the cancelling of Colbert as well) for an INCREDIBLY mild joke not even aimed at Charlie Kirk (which, by the way, I was drafting a post about THAT and how terrifying it was the freedom of speech is so attacked and that I am standing 10 toes down with Jimmy Kimmel (and Colbert even though that’s sort of old news as this point, but while I was writing about Kimmel, *this* happened, since MAGA sure does love to flood the zone, as they say), now Congress passed a resolution for a Charlie Kirk remembrance day?!?!?!? I literally want to puke.

And the democrats voted for it too?!?!?! Some of the democrats who voted for it say, ‘oh, it’s just condemning political violence.” The hell it is. A day named after him to celebrate his legacy?!?!? The legacy of a horrific white supremacist?!?!?!

I am NOT about to gaslighted into believing that refusing to mourn or glorify an abhorrent human being means that I’m “celebrating his death.” The only two choices are NOT “celebrate political violence” or “celebrate a repulsive man.” Never will I ever celebrate Charlie Kirk and I will also NOT be bullied into staying silent on this. Show this blog post if I ever run for congress; I don’t care. I’m not going to let MAGA make me believe that I’m a bad person unless I kowtow and alter reality with them. I’m not ashamed of knowing and stating that Charlie Kirk was an extraordinarily cruel man and dying doesn’t erase any of that. On October 14th (the day they made Charlie Kirk day), I will be thinking of it as George Floyd day, as Floyd’s birthday is on October 14th and Charlie Kirk made George Floyd’s family’s life a living hell, so it’s especially cruel that now George Floyd’s birthday is nationally Charlie Kirk day.

If democrats are gonna pass something with Charlie Kirk in the name how about some regulations on guns, especially assault rifles, name it the “Charlie Kirk Remembrance Gun Safety Bill” and force republicans hands to either vote for it or be on record voting against a bill in their saint’s honor.

It’s soooo ironic that the remembrance bill that passed encourages people to use the Charlie Kirk day (puking in my mouth) to promote civic engagement and democracy in honor of a man who – according to them – was “a champion of free speech, civil dialogue” at the same time that people are being doxxed, fired, etc. for refusing to mourn the death of a white supremacist!!!!!!

If people just want to officially condemn political violence, then where’s the mention of Melissa Hortman?! Gabby Giffords? Paul Pelosi (who, by the way, Charlie Kirk consistently disrespected after he was attacked), as I guess political violence is only bad to people like Charlie Kirk if it’s against the people on his side. They’re so happy to show effigies of Obama being lynched, wanting to pardon January 6rs, reveling in violence against Black Americans, plus an anchor literally talking about how homeless people should be killed on Fox News recently , etc., etc., etc. But then if democrats who don’t even actively support the violence merely refuse to cry over an abominable human being, all of a sudden they’re supposed to lose their jobs and be banished from society?!

I need us all to get so f*cking for real so fast. I am so disgusted about all of this and I truly don’t believe it’s safe here anymore.

(W. Kamau Bell made a great point that if MAGA is no longer worried about going after rich, straight, powerful white men (like Kimmel & Colbert), what do we possibly think will happen to everyone else?)

With the incredible amount of censorship happening for anyone who doesn’t bow down to dear leader (RIP the late night shows of Kimmel & Colbert among also things happening with other reporters and such), plus the fact that our Congress is now giving remembrance days to dangerous, barbarous, deeply misogynistic white supremacists?! And the democrats are VOTING FOR IT?! (And shoutout to Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others who did not vote for this. Nonetheless,) It’s time to go.

I have my Italian passport and I am prepping my life, apartment, storage unit, etc. to be ready to leave whenever either the opportunity presents itself or when it becomes just so necessary to go that you can’t not leave – and we’re getting closer to that every day. If I didn’t have commitments in America through December, I’d already be gone. Here’s hoping it’s safe to stay that long but if not, I’m trying to make myself as ready to go at a moment’s notice as I can be.

Everybody take care of yourself! I love you; good luck!

The post I Think It’s Time to Seriously Prepare to Leave America appeared first on Aurora's Blog.

People are acting like this is a neutral answer and it’s driving me crazy. I already disagree with the position of feeling you can’t alienate Trump supporters because I think we all actively should speaking out against the dangers of Donald Trump whenever the opportunity presents itself, especially for those who have a big platform. Who cares if you’re losing fans, if you’re doing the right thing?

But let’s just assume that we are in that mindset of wanting to stay “neutral” and not alienate people or not get in trouble with the NFL or whatever, whatever, then, even in that scenario, I still believe the answer should’ve been more neutral. It wouldn’t have been hard to say something like “I can’t let myself be distracted by any person in the audience as all my attention needs to be directly on the field, helping my team to win this game.”

There is NO reason to say it’s an “honor” to play for this president, because it certainly shouldn’t be!

I ran across a social media post where people were debating this and a shocking number were on Kelce’s side saying it was the respectable thing to say and that you should always respect the office. But YOU SHOULD NOT. You DON’T “always respect the office.” Full stop. Do those people think it would’ve been appropriate for German athletes in the ’30s to say “That’s awesome. It’s a great honor, I think you know, no matter who the chancellor is.”

Trump IS dangerous. The treatment of immigrants, the treatment of transgender people, the expansion of Guantanamo Bay, the recklessness of “DOGE.” We are in so much trouble and it’s maddening all the people who want to comply in advance or bow their heads to decorum and tradition despite the man they’re talking about throwing all decorum and tradition out the window.

Also, to the argument some have given that “Oh, I’m sure Travis Kelce has so much pressure. Imagine the pressure of all these questions. He did the best he could under these circumstances.” NO HE DID NOT. [And even IF somehow he felt his answer wasn’t reflective of how he really felt, he has not then said anything to correct the record.]

This man has been famous for a while. He has been to the Super Bowl before!!! This is not someone who has been catapulted to fame overnight with no media training. This is someone who should know exactly what they’re doing – which, to me, is what makes his answer all that more purposeful!

[And Jalen Hurts was able to successfully answer the questions neutrally with no issue.]

So, I’m not sure if people just love Trump and that’s why they’re caping for Travis, or if they’re blind to the fact that they’re normalizing someone who is not normal, or what their deal is. But I’m going crazy feeling like I’m seeing all these people in an alternate reality than me.

(And by the way, it probably goes without saying, but GO BIRDS! (Also, Go Kendrick!))

The post This Country is Gonna “Be Respectful” Itself Into Ruin appeared first on Aurora's Blog.

I think it’s pretty apparent that genocide is happening in Palestine, and the attacks that Israel is inflicting are not at all proportional to the attack from Hamas on October 7. There’s no excuse for the extreme number of casualties of Palestinian civilians, and it’s reprehensible that they continue bombing Gaza with no end sight.

I don’t know what else to say, except for the fact that I wanted to say something. Now is not the time for silence. See you at the protests, and don’t forget to call your representatives! xoxo

The post I Strongly Support A Ceasefire appeared first on Aurora's Blog.

WGA lists locations here. And SAG-AFTRA locations are listed here. For the most part, they overlap, but WGA is at a few more locations than SAG for various reasons.

[For instance, at TV City, the soap actors are still officially allowed to work because they’re on a slightly different contract. And SAG doesn’t want to make them cross a picket to work in a non-struck way.]

Pick any location, and come on down! Signs and snacks and water and everything are provided. You don’t have to bring anything – just yourself. (It is smart to wear sunscreen though, and a big hat and sunglasses if you have it – stay safe in the sun!)

People are SO kind and SO open and HAPPY you’re there! You don’t have to worry if you’re not a member of the unions. So far at every picket I’ve been to, someone has been there who doesn’t even work in the industry and we LOVE the support.

So, come on out and if you have any questions at all, let me know and I’ll see if I can help you get it answered.

Hope to see you out there!

The post If You Want to Picket, You Can Come! appeared first on Aurora's Blog.

My whole life, as far as I can remember, I dreamt of working in the entertainment industry, and in many ways, I’ve successfully done it. I do have a lot more dreams to accomplish still, but I was just thinking about how I get to vote for the Emmys!

I take that a serious responsibility (and honor). And I was just thinking about how since I get all the perks of fancy parties, and free stuff, and access to famous people, and protections from unions and such; I really do just have such a responsibility to be out here.

Many of my dreams came true. I get to work in the industry I always dreamt of, and I have a responsibility to fight for the future of this industry.

I’ve, of course, always known the strike was important, and I’ve been deeply in favor of it and supportive in the ways I could. But getting out of New York for a bit, and having life slow down between semesters of school, and getting the time to really actively walk the lines – it’s just all driving home the point to me of how important it is to get out there, and to make time for it, no matter what else is going on in my life.

Fight on! Solidarity! xoxoxo

The post Thoughts From The Picket Line appeared first on Aurora's Blog.

Snacks and drinks again. Everyone is so supportive. Lots of horn honks, which was great.

It was “Strike Up A Romance” themed day. Had I realized that, I probably wouldn’t have gone. Because you know, I’m like weird about ‘singles’ events, and apps, and just anything along those lines. So, I’m glad I didn’t know, because I had fun.

As always, really fun captains keeping the lines lively. And everyone is so charming because it’s Los Angeles. Love it here. Love the solidarity.

And one fun thing that happened was that someone was there who wasn’t involved in the industry at all who was like “I’m just here ’cause I want to watch Abbott Elementary.” I love that people are that passionate about the art they consume!

While of course I want the strike to end, in the mean time, I’m looking forward to more picketing!

The post Picketing at Netflix! appeared first on Aurora's Blog.

Between semesters and I’m able to work remotely in Cali. And I am just sooooo happy to be here. So LET’S GO picketing!

Paramount has a pretty relaxed vibe. The people are super nice (of course). Tons of snacks and drinks if you need them. I even saw an old friend from The Groundlings!

Oh, and we love Craig’s ice cream because they came by and gave free ice cream to everyone

A great time. And I’m so looking forward to picketing at more locations!

The post Picketing at Paramount! appeared first on Aurora's Blog.

The music rocked. The people were nice. The dancing was fun. They even gave me a tambourine to enhance my dancing haha. Being out there is amazing, and I was happy to be part of it!

The post Picketing at CBS Broadcast Center (in NYC) appeared first on Aurora's Blog.