Hot Momma Gossip

Hollywood screenwriters, who have been on strike for nearly two weeks, say they will re-open negotiations with their studios on 26 November. This will be the first contract talks since the writers went out on strike on 5 November, demanding a larger share of profits from DVD and internet sales.  It’s hard to tell if they will have a willing negotiating partner though.  The employers, represented by The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, have made it known, through newspaper ads, that they believe writers are already paid well enough for their work.

The strike has crippled US TV, forcing talk shows to be suspended and threatening favourite primetime series. Shows like Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy are reported to be on the verge of shutting down production, with no lines for their actors to learn.  Many shows operate on a tight schedule. Once it has been interrupted, a production can be affected for months.

Writers said they would stay on the picket line until a deal was reached.

Meanwhile NBC has fired nearly the entire production staff of ”Saturday Night Live”.  And The Washington Post reported yesterday that NBC might lay staff off at Jay Leno’s “Tonight” show, “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” and “Last Call With Carson Daly“.