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ShareProgress continues on the writers strike, and it’s possible - possible - the writers guild board could vote as soon as Sunday to end the picketing and send everyone back to work.
The Writers Guild of America has scheduled informational meetings with members in both Los Angeles and New York on Saturday, and the guild board told its members it will wait for those meetings before any kind of a board vote on the strike. But some board action, including declaring an end to the strike, might come by Sunday or Monday if the membership agrees.
It’s also possible the strike could last longer; the lawyers could haggle over details forever (they do earn a hefty hourly wage). Or the writers board membership could reject the deal.
But I’m staying optimistic, because I’m hoping a quick settlement means they’ll finish making the full 16-episode season of “Lost,” and because I’m really bored with “American Gladiators.”
And can I divert this rant to “American Gladiators”? The games themselves are OK, but just OK, though I will give them the final obstacle course race as the one thing worth watching in the hour. But the faux fearsomeness and the forced trash talk makes you think you’re watching seventh-graders at recess _– no offense, kids, I know a lot of you talk way better smack than these people.
Seriously, you have to wonder why the producers want the contestants to badmouth each other, and you know it’s the producers telling the players to overdo it, because you can see the players’ hearts aren’t really in it.
Typical trash talk session:
Red guy: “I’m gonna beat you, man.”
Blue guy: “No, uh, I’m gonna beat you.”
For something that bills itself as a family show, how about they get people to act with a little class?
By the way, don’t be taken in by the hype that “Gladiators” is any kind of a major hit, either. Its ratings have dropped every week it’s been on, drawing about 9 million this week, down from the 12 million-plus that watched the premiere.
And why am I getting all American-Gladiators-trashy on “American Gladiators”? Cause I’m disappointed. I wanted it to be better, and, frankly, I wanted the gladiators to be cooler. We take our anger out on the things we want to love, or something like that. It’s also possible I’m just worn out by the strike.
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So, let’s shift to a softer, and cuter, subject. Animal Planet is reporting that “Puppy Bowl IV” attracted 8 million people who checked out the romping pups during its three hours on Sunday, and it averaged a steady 1.1 million viewers at any one time. Might have been even higher if the dogs talked smack.
And in a weird little side note, whenever I write about the Puppy Bowl - and you know how I love my Puppy Bowl - or about any show with dogs, I always get a handful of very angry e-mails from people who really, really hate dogs.
Me, I’m a dog guy. The world is a better place when a dog is in the room. Apparently, there are people who think otherwise. So to them I say, you know, they have kittens playing during halftime.
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A reminder for fans of “Friday Night Lights” - and I know all of you are dog people, because dog people would love this smart, deep and mesmerizing series. Friday’s is the last new episode before the well runs dry from the writers strike.
It could also be the last new episode ever. NBC entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman implied to online magazine Radar that maybe he wasn’t going to stand by the show much longer.
“I love it. You love it. Unfortunately, no one watches it,” Silverman told a reporter recently. “That’s the thing with shows. People have to watch them.”
Not a good sign. The only upside was that Silverman kept badgering the Radar reporter to watch “30 Rock,” another high-quality, low-rated NBC show.
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In case you’ve missed this late night action, I give you one of the best “blood feuds” in recent times. It involves Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and, of course, Mike Huckabee.
The three late night hosts have been one-upping each other over who’s most responsible for Huckabee’s presidential campaign. And when brutes like that get into it, you know it’ll eventually lead to bloodshed.
OK. Not really. But the guys have been faking their growing grudges for more than a month with gags that have run across two networks.
Just recently, NBC’s O’Brien called Colbert the “temporary host” of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” and Colbert threatened to Conan that “I will kick your translucent white (behind).” (O’Brien said it’s not actually translucent, it’s white with streaks of pink.)
Then Stewart stepped in, showing a clip from the short-lived, 1993 MTV series, “The Jon Stewart Show” in which Stewart welcomed O’Brien, and Stewart said he gets credit for “making O’Brien.” Stewart, who’s not a big man, also mentioned that Conan is the tallest talk show host in broadcasting history and that he looked like Conan’s little brother standing next to him.
O’Brien fired right back with photos showing that he was the doctor who delivered both Stewart and Colbert, so he “made them.”
By early this week, the fake tempers reached a fake boil. Stewart and Colbert walked onto the set of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” during the taping, and went all West Side Story on Conan, complete with snapping fingers.
Then came the backstage brawl. The three guys went at it with a bat, a fire extinguisher, beer bottles, a brick, a recycling bin, an acetylene torch, and, naturally, a tape dispenser. When it was done, all three promised more fake brutality.
Then Huckabee stepped in with a taped message to make peace:
“Vote for me,” he said. “And forget these three idiots.”
