December 5th, 2007 Update: New negotiations began again on December 4th, but far from reaching a new deal, the WGA's strike continues into its fifth week. During the December 4th meeting, the WGA presented a proposal for a tiered compensation system based upon how often a show is viewed online. The proposed sliding scale resulted in involved discussion, but unfortunately, no resolution.

The talks thus far have been slow going and seem to skirt around the key issue of the strike which is the sort of compensation writer's will receive for television shows featured on the Internet. Additionally, the conflicting agendas of the Hollywood studios and their corporate parents has prevented a speedy settlement.

Negotiations have been occurring on and off since the strike began five weeks ago, but with such timely stakes, it is unusual that the parties have not been meeting more consistently. If the strike continues to persist much longer, scripted television will take a severe hit come winter. However, there appears to be no sense of urgency on either side, and although some remain hopeful, it is unlikely that the negations will be resolved before Christmas.

November 12th, 2007 Update: Hollywood is in turmoil because of the writer's strike. The film and television industry is responsible for an estimated 1.3 million jobs in the United States and writer's are refusing to go back to work until a proper agreement is reached. Videos and pictures have been taken left and right, with celebrities mixed in with the picketers, and posted all over the news. Celebs like Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "Seinfeld" fame, "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria and Kelsey Grammer of "Cheers" attended a rally last week.

One celebrity at the center of the writer's strike ordeal is talk show host, Ellen Degeneres. Take a look at what her former writer, Liz Feldman, who is currently on strike, wrote about her:

"First, let me say that I wish that Ellen hadn't crossed the picket lines. I wish that she would stop making new episodes in solidarity with her writers. I know she is under intense pressure from her affiliates and production companies. Her show is syndicated, and she faces challenges that her late night compatriots do not. But these are excuses and I cannot defend her actions against the strike."

Ellen seems to be caught in the middle of making new episodes with fresh monologues or stopping her episodes to support the writers. She's trapped and many writer's on strike are upset by her actions.

Other shows that have faced a bit of drama include The Office. The NBC show has shut down production because plenty of staff, including star Steve Carell, are scribes for the show and are walking the picket line. Below is a video of the actors and staff of The Office at their rally:

November 6th, 2007 Update: Talks didn't go so well in Hollywood this past week and the writers have officially gone on strike. Check out any news website these days to find many pictures of the writers picketing and protesting the networks. In addition, check out what Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have said about the strike below:

"I stand with the writers. The Guild's demand is a test of whether media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives. I urge the producers to work with the writers so that everyone can get back to work."- Barack Obama.

"I support the Writers Guild's pursuit of a fair contract that pays them for their work in all mediums. I hope the producers and writers will return to the bargaining table to work out an equitable contract that keeps our entertainment industry strong and recognizes the contributions writers make to the success of the industry."- Hillary Clinton.

November 1st, 2007 Update: Readers may be asking themselves, "What specific shows are actually going to be affected by this looming strike?" Well, television programs like David Letterman, Jay Leno, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report are all show that may switch to repeats if writers go on strike. Other shows like Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Lost and CBS' The Big Bang Theory may face a haitus. These shows are dependent upon union writers and if they go on strike, there will be serious consequences for audiences that enjoy a new or live episode each week. Scripted programs like these will be halted due to lack of fresh material. The shows that will be filling up the time slots? MORE REALITY TV. You got it! Reality television shows don't need scripts and writers to keep their season going, so networks will rely on replacing shows that are hard-hit by the strike with new reality tv episodes. Just what the world needs! You can bet that the producers of reality tv shows will welcome the strike because it means more airtime for their shows.

In terms of the Writers Guild contract, it officially expired at midnight yesterday making a strike seem more likely. As of right now, writers are working without a contract. The union set a meeting of its 12,000 members for Thursday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center to continue their talks about staging a walk-out and/or negotiating with the big networks.

Writers Guild Strike May Result in Widespread Quiet on the Set by Julieissane

Tensions have continued to rise in Hollywood between The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The looming threat of a widespread strike by the Writers Guild would devastate the future production of many hit TV-shows and movies. Hollywood writers are battling networks and studios down to the wire as their current contract nears its end on October 31, 2007.

The two sides had begun meeting in mid-July to discuss the demands of the Writers Guild. At the top of the list is finding a way to compensate writers when their work is featured on the Internet and via other digital media. They are also aiming to renegotiate DVD residual payments that are given to the writers.

Things in Hollywood are getting pretty frantic. A strike could occur as soon as November 1st. Producers have reacted to the potential strike by hurrying more films into production and pushing TV series filming ahead of schedule. However, many officials believe that a temporary extension may occur to delay some of the drastic changes that could transpire if an agreement is not reached and the writers go on strike. The WGA has not gone on strike since 1988.

The last major writer's strike can stem back from 1988, when writers protested for five months. This strike was considered the longest in Hollywood history. In 1988, the issue was over home video residuals for writers. They wanted their fair share of the booming VHS market. Sadly, the writers lost.

The failure of the '88 strike only gave writers about .3% of studio grosses from the VHS tapes and DVDs of the movies and television shows they author. When the DVD market exploded in the 90's, writers felt even more resentment and bitterness toward film and television studios. The studios were receiving the majority of the DVD revenue, while the writers were paid about five cents for each DVD sold.

And now, with the popularity of internet downloads, the water has boiled over and writer's are taking a stand! The writers don't want to get screwed over by all the Internet downloads now either.

A walk-out by writers would first effect "programs that are done nightly like The Daily Show and The Tonight Show and Letterman," says Patric Verrone, president of Writers Guild of America, West. "Then the comedies and dramas that have some lead time, but not much, would go into reruns and eventually be all reruns - or a test pattern."

This means that the strike would result in fewer new episodes on TV sitcoms and more reality TV shows which aren't subject to the writers' deal. Movies would suffer from poor or incomplete scripts. The writer's contract ends Oct. 31st, and the WGA has three options. It can settle, it can strike, or it can work past the expiration of the current contract.