RIP Heath Ledger and the strike goes on

What a rollercoaster for Hollywood this week. Yesterday, I was shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Heath Ledger. He was only 28 and died in his NYC apartment. So sad. My younger brother liked him in A Knight’s Tale and I loved him in Brokeback Mountain. I’ve heard he was fantastic in I’m Not There, but I haven’t seen it yet.

Then, it was announced that Hollywood writers and producers are meeting for “informal” talks to hopefully bring an end to the strike. Producers MUST be getting nervous. If this isn’t resolved, they’ll soon have to give back money to advertisers and TV viewers will probably turn against them when we get nothing but reality TV on every channel. I’ve got my fingers crossed for a resolution before the Oscars. Can you imagine being nominated for the first time (hello, Ellen Page!) and then not being able to go because of a strike? Awful, but there’s no way even if the show went on that many stars would cross the picket line. I wouldn’t. Ever.

Do you think the strike will end soon?

Strike

Soon, one of my favorite sources of procrastination, the TV, will end sweeps month and resume summer reruns. That is going to free up lots of writing time! I feel as if I’ll be watching season finales on every network for the next two weeks and then boom–back into reruns for the summer. I am, however, looking forward to a couple of shows such as Big Brother 8, So You Think You Can Dance? and Kyle XY.

I’m blogging about TV today because a writers’ strike is looming in Hollywood. Writers are complaining that they are not being paid enough and that Hollywood is treating them unfairly. What does that mean for TV viewers? It means a lot, actually. Fewer scripted shows may pop up on fall and spring schedules. NBC has already announced that it will add no new comedies to its fall line up and if the strike happens, reality TV may dominate.

It’s an interesting situation and as a writer, I am of course pulling for the TV writers of Hollywood.

What’s your take on this?