My Getting Paid Saga

A few people have asked so allow me to fill you in on my efforts to get paid by Last Comic Standing.
Just to recap, NBC claimed some Bullshit about not having to pay us because we were not "professional" comics. Turns out we are. Then it was some nonsense about not being a member of AFTRA/SAG. Thats where the story got weird cause I was made to join AFTRA or I could not have done Live at Gotham on Comedy Central last year. They had all the comics lined up in the basement of Gotham filling out paper work and signing our checks over to AFTRA. Turns out this wasn't a AFTRA Representative at all who I trusted with my paper work. It was a Comedy Central rep whose job it was to bring everything to AFTRA. Apparently it didn't work because a check was still floating around out there for me and AFTRA had me down in their, needs to pay for the next job or else, list. So that answered that. After several phone calls with AFTRA reps in San Francisco, they told me they have the check, will mail me half and then I can pay the rest of the initiation fees over time. Meanwhile I had been calling and e-mailing the producers of Last Comic Standing in an effort to get paid. I finally sent an e-mail explaining that my next step was to get the media involved or even a lawyer. After all, I wasn't the only one having a hard time getting money from these guys. A week latter a FedEx letter showed up with the paper work I needed to fill out to finally get paid. I filled it out and send it back. So here is whats happening now. I am waiting for a check from AFTRA. I am not sure of what the amount will be because frankly I don't trust anyone in this process any more. I don't even get the check. Standard operating procedure is to have the check sent directly to AFTRA first. They take their cut and then mail me mine. Will see.
Some where floating around out there is a nice little sum. Now will see if any of it shows up after jumping through flaming hoops of bullshit just to find out that I owe money to AFTRA for something I did more than a year ago and I might not get any of the money from Last Comic Standing because it has to pay for the initiation fee I thought had already been taken care of with the check I never saw and no one bothered to tell me was outstanding.
Showbiz. You gotta love it cause doing it for the money will kill you.