Strike update -- some movement??

The Director's Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative agreement with the producers' Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that includes, among other things, money for Internet content, a sore point with the Writer's Guild.
More significant -- the AMPTP's announcement included this:

Today, we invite the Writers Guild of America to engage with us in a series of informal discussions similar to the productive process that led us to a deal with the DGA to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for returning to formal bargaining. We look forward to these discussions, and to the day when our entire industry gets back to work.

It could be. Let's hope.

Colbert vs. Stewart -- who's surviving the strike?

We've had a week's worth of new shows without the show's usual writers. The move by Jon Stewart to rename his program "A Daily Show" instead of "The Daily Show" was a great gesture and a novel way to salute the striking writers. Whether it was satirical or not we'll leave up to you. But Stewart's show has settled in and is moving along rather well. The new material has been relatively consistent - and funny.
On the other side, "The Colbert Report" is struggling. Host Stephen Colbert has been using more of the facial expressions than usual and filling a lot of time with such weak stunts as imitating Ellen DeGeneres' dancing in the audience (which he acknowledged was a good time stretcher) and lots of interviews. He clearly misses the writers. Has the emperor lost his clothes?

In first new show, "The Daily Show" confronts strike

"The Daily Show" returned Monday with its first new show of the year in the wake of the ongoing Writer's Guild strike. And while "The Colbert Report kept to mostly light-hearted references, Jon Stewart discussed the strike at length with a professor who specialized in labor relations. The discussion clearly revealed that Stewart, while making some jokes about the situation, supports the writers. He discussed the writer's strategy of making side agreements, the latest being with United Artists and how this could affect the situation.
But like with "The Colbert Report, it's one down and many more shows to go in this ongoing dispute.

Colbert returns with a vengeance

"The Colbert Report" returned last night. And Stephen Colbert managed to do a decent show in spite of the writer's strike with some crafty moves.
His show opening introduction included all the usual words but stopped short to point up the missing writer's contributions.
The audience helped him, too, with an incredibly long ovation that he let continue and eventually stopped by personally going out into the audience and hugging people and telling them to sit down.
He commented on the writer's strike with a brilliant segment about how he hated unions, which led into "The Word." But there was no "Word" because the writers didn't write it. It was a commentary in his own subtle way that yes, he did need them.
One thing Stephen Colbert fans can apparently look forward to is more interviews. He interviewed authors Andrew Sullivan and Richard Freeman.
Sullivan talked about his recent magazine article on the Barack Obama candidacy. Freeman, who crossed a picket line to be on the show, talked about why unions are more viable. Colbert ended the interview by asking him if he was a member of a union. Freeman said he wasn't. End of discussion.
Colbert closed the show by telling the writers, "I'll see you in my dreams."
Maybe he's dreaming he doesn't need them. Stephen Colbert got through the first night.
But there could be many more tough nights to come.