Hey, even celebrities have to follow the rules - a fact that is being pointed out to late night host Jay Leno by many major media outlets. Here’s the deal: there’s an active writers’ strike going on, but the Tonight Show must go on anyway. At least, that’s the stand taken by NBC.
During a recent new episode of his late night show, Leno delivered a monologue and announced that he’s writing his own jokes. However, under Writers Guild rules those who are still on strike are not allowed to write for any studio’s project. NBC maintains they’re following the rules, while the Guild says Leno is a member and subject to all the strike rules therein - which means, no writing. The entire issue is now going before a union panel.
With all this itty bitty quibbling, it’s no wonder no one can seem to get any negotiations scheduled which might actually end this thing.
E! Online
Gallery: Why Jay Leno’s Monologue Must Not Go On
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This Week on TV (12/31-1/6)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Drama, Games, Late Night, Music, Prime Time, Reality, Specials, Sports, Talk Shows, ABC, Cable, CBS, FOX, HBO, MTV, NBC, Showtime, Apprentice, The - Donald, Desperate Housewives, ER,
(Reminder: You can view the whole Revamped TV Programming Schedule here.)
MONDAY (12/31)
- Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2008 (ABC, 10pm): Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest will co-host the event. Is Miley Cyrus old enough to be associated with a drinking holiday?
- New Year’s Eve Live (FOX, 11pm): Idol alums Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis will perform. In just a few short weeks, we’ll start caring about a new batch of idols.
- Tila Tequila’s New Year’s Eve Masquerade (MTV, 11pm): NYC masked ball will include Kid Rock and Mary J. Blige. Has it already been a year since we were forced to watch Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo kiss?
- NBC’s New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly (NBC, 11:35pm): Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz will be performing. This may be the first time in a while someone has stayed awake to watch Daly’s show.
Click to continue reading This Week on TV (12/31-1/6)
Gallery: This Week on TV (12/31-1/6)
David Letterman Returns With Writer Support
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Late Night, Talk Shows, ABC, Cable, CBS, NBC, Daily Show, The, News,
David Letterman has accomplished what no other late night host has managed to do: reach an agreement with the writers. Of course, owning your own company does have its perks.
Letterman and his production company, WorldWide Pants, have been sitting down with the Writers Guild for some time now in hopes of working out a deal. Late today, the two sides came to terms on an independent agreement that would allow both The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to come back on Jan. 2nd. Although the two talk shows will technically be competing with the returns of Leno, O’Brien and Kimmel, CBS will easily have the advantage. Letterman and Ferguson will be the only ones with the scripted jokes.
Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart will also be returning - sans writers - on January 7th.
Reuters
Gallery: David Letterman Returns With Writer Support
Surprises in Store for Late Night TV
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Late Night, Cable, NBC, Daily Show, The, Gossip,
If you’ve attempted to watch TV at all in the last two months, you know there’s an active writers’ strike in the works. Despite the picket lines, lots of studios are “encouraging” their late night hosts to get back in the studio and back behind the desk.
Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien (among others) all intend to bring their shows back to the air beginning in January - but this time, they’re doing it without their writers. When it comes to television, this action is very much like walking a tightrope in the circus…with no safety net.
The hosts are members of the Writers Guild themselves, meaning they’ll have to pass by their union brothers and sisters on their way to work every morning (or afternoon, as the case may be). This membership also means the hosts themselves must continue to follow union rules, and will be subject to the terms and conditions therein. For instance, monologues and talk segments (like Colbert’s The Word) may no longer be part of the program. So…what, then, will viewers see on late night in January? For one, you won’t be getting scripted segments.
Click to continue reading Surprises in Store for Late Night TV
Yahoo! News
Gallery: Surprises in Store for Late Night TV
Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart Return to Work
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Late Night, Talk Shows, ABC, Cable, CBS, NBC, Daily Show, The, Announcements, News,
Comedy Central has just announced the January return of its two late-night talk show hosts. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will ring in their new years on January 7th, five days after Kimmel, Leno and O’Brien have scheduled their starts. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report - like the ABC and NBC programs - will resume production sans writers. What this means for these ‘news’ shows and their largely scripted formats is unknown.
Stewart and Colbert, who are also members of the Writers Guild of America, released a joint statement about the decision:
’‘We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence.’‘
Meanwhile, we may get details later today about the plans for CBS’ late-night programs. David Letterman’s company, Worldwide Pants, will be meeting with members of the WGA today. If they can reach an interim agreement, both The Late Show With David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson could also be hitting the airwaves - with scribes - come January 2nd.
No matter how you feel about the writers’ situation, what do you think about The Daily Show and The Colbert Report returning? Could they possibly be as good as they were pre-strike—or do you think the quality will suffer? Will you simply be happy to see them back regardless of the content?
Variety
Gallery: Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart Return to Work
Jimmy Kimmel Joins Late Night Returns
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Late Night, Talk Shows, ABC, CBS, NBC, News,
ABC has announced the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live, effective Jan. 2nd. The talk show will air new episodes the same evening The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O’Brien also start anew. Despite their support of the WGA, all three hosts hope their participation can prevent other job losses.
Although an official announcement has not yet been made, CBS may soon be seeing a spark of life in late-night as well. David Letterman and his company, Worldwide Pants, are hoping to broker an independent deal with the union. This could allow his program and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to return with their normal writers in tow.
Hollywood Reporter
Gallery: Jimmy Kimmel Joins Late Night Returns
The Return of Late Night TV…Sort Of
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Late Night, Talk Shows, CBS, NBC, News,
Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien will be returning to work directly after the holidays, with new episodes scheduled to air Wednesday, January 2. They’ll be bringing late night entertainment back to TV, something that’s been sorely missing since the writer’s strike started.
An NBC spokesperson said that Leno and O’Brien still support their writers, but by returning to work will give hundreds of people the chance to do their jobs. Of course, the late night variety programs will go on the air sans writers, so there’s no telling what fans will get. Currently, no guests have been announced for either program.
Meanwhile, David Letterman and his company, Worldwide Pants, are hoping to broker a deal with the WGA. If the parties can work out an arrangement independent of the dispute with the producers, the Late Show with David Letterman and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson could soon also be returning with writers.
Entertainment Weekly
Gallery: The Return of Late Night TV…Sort Of
TV on DVD: December 4, 2007
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Comedy, Drama, Late Night, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, BBC, Cable, CBS, HBO, NBC, TNT-HD, WB, 24, Saturday Night Live, DVD,
In need of a few gift ideas? Here are some of the TV on DVD options you can find on the shelves this Tuesday.
- 24 (Season 6)
- 7th Heaven (Season 5)
- Battlestar Galactica: ‘Razor’
- Crank Yankers, The Best Of
- Diagnosis Murder (Season 3)
- Dinner for Five: ‘Best of Directors’
- Dinner for Five: ‘On the Road’
- The Grafters (Season 2)
- House of Payne (Volume 1)
- Instant Star (Season 2)
- Law and Order: SVU (Season 4)
- Saturday Night Live (Season 2)
- Touched by an Angel (Season 4, Volume 2)
- Will & Grace (Season 7)
- The Wire (Season 4)
Gallery: TV on DVD: December 4, 2007
The Price of Striking Writers
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Comedy, Daytime, Drama, Late Night, Mini Series, Prime Time, News,
The writer’s strike is still going strong, though new negotiations are scheduled to begin next week. That’s a really good thing, too, considering how expensive all these picket lines are getting. If the strike continues into next month, it’s projected that LA will lose $20 million – per day. It won’t just affect our TV watching and give a real boost to reality shows, it will actually hurt the economy of the entertainment-based city.
For those who forgot, the disputing writer’s guild wants to split more revenue with the Alliance of Producers, who don’t want to give it up. That’s what’s been keeping the picket lines going. The last strike, by the way, lasted 22 weeks and cost right around $500 million, all told.
LA Times
Gallery: The Price of Striking Writers
Alternatives For Late Night TV
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Late Night, Reality, Talk Shows, Cable, FX, MTV, Editorial,
It’s only been a full work week since Hollywood’s writers went on strike, and already it seems the days of great late night talk programs are long gone. The last time the writer’s guild went on strike, it lasted an agonizingly long 22 weeks. Without Colbert, Stewart, Letterman and Leno, how is American supposed to get its satirical, tongue-in-cheek twists on current events?
With a shortage of new scripts and a hiatus of many major shows, more Americans are now channel-surfing to find an entertainment fix. What they’ll find is a mishmash of reality TV - those wonderfully unscripted programs that are always there in the event of a script shortage. Channels like Travel, Discovery, Animal Planet and the Food Network are largely unaffected by the strike, though how MTV (and channels like it) will continue with their staged reality programs is anyone’s guess.
Instead of watching repeats on network TV, turn to these cable channels as the midnight hour approaches. Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel, E!, FX, The History Channel, and VH1 are among those still offering brand-new episodes. It’s better than re-runs.
MSNBC
Gallery: Alternatives For Late Night TV
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