Strikes

Hollywood could be back on its feet as early as Monday. The major studios and the Writers Guild of America are putting the finishing touches on a deal that could bring an end to the costly walkout. Today the two sides are expected to finalize a three-year contract that guild leaders plan to present to thousands of writers in Los Angeles and New York on Saturday.

The Writers Guild of America leadership recommended Saturday that striking writers approve a contract offer from television networks and movie studios, signaling a likely -- but not immediate -- resolution to the crippling labor impasse. The tentative pact -- which guild members greeted enthusiastically but hardly exuberantly -- still requires a ratification vote to end the 14-week strike.

LET'S not kid ourselves. This town is so desperate to get back to work it's like that girl auditioning on "American Idol" last week, who would have gladly given Simon Cowell her dog if he'd just put her through to Hollywood. Well, three-plus months of unemployment can strike the fear of Peter Chernin into anyone.

Movie and television writers began casting their ballots Sunday on whether to end their 3-month-old strike, a vote that is likely to send the entertainment industry back to work Wednesday. The action followed Sunday's unanimous decision by the board and negotiating committee of the Writers Guild of America to bless a tentative contract reached with studios over the weekend. The guild's 10,500 movie and TV writers are expected to ratify the new three-year agreement within 12 days.

During the 1988 writers strike, TV viewers sick of watching reruns found themselves turning to Fox's raunchy new sitcom "Married With Children." The budding Fox network was struggling and, like its bigger rivals, had resorted to rerunning episodes when viewers discovered henpecked shoe salesman Al Bundy and his Spandex-clad wife, Peg. Their quirky appeal helped brand the "fourth" network as an iconoclast, able to take on ABC, CBS and NBC.

The strike is over. Hollywood's costly 100-day walkout came to a widely welcomed end Tuesday after members of the Writers Guild of America voted overwhelmingly to go back to work. More than 90% of the 3,775 writers who cast ballots in Los Angeles and New York voted to immediately end the work stoppage, capping the entertainment industry's most contentious labor dispute in recent history.

The great American novel that I started four strikes ago is almost done. I figure one more strike, two at the most, and I'll be ready to send it to my editor (who I hope is still alive; I haven't heard from him since 1985). So I've got a target date of 2014, but I'm close. Really close. I can feel it.

The strike by the Writers Guild of America ended not a moment too soon for Jay Leno. After 100 days, the guests were wearing thin. Larry the Cable Guy made his fourth appearance just this week on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." Animal ambassador Joan Embery -- the sixth animal act in as many weeks -- dropped by with another passel of critters.

With the strike over, the salvage operation begins. Hollywood lurched back into gear this week, reviving projects sidelined by the three-month labor dispute with its writers. For broadcast television, which felt the brunt of the work stoppage, the most pressing issues center on the prospects for next season. Studios are now rushing to piece together a truncated pilot season. Even with a limited pool of new shows to choose from, the networks plan to roll out some kind of fall season.

The Writers Guild of America, East, claims that TV network ABC Inc. and Corday Productions broke the Feb. 11 agreement that had ended the 100-day writers walkout. The guild said in arbitration papers that the companies had permanently replaced writers on soap operas "All My Children" and "Days of Our Lives." ABC spokeswoman Julie Hoover said the allegation was untrue. Corday could not be reached for comment.