Slow Day

According to EW, the industry as a whole is taking the talks as a positive sign, but fact of the matter is that the news blackout has rendered whatever drama there is at the table invisible and therefore, from our perspective, moot.

Reuters reports the same with slightly more detail. A "solidarity rally" was held yesterday in New York, and not only did John Edwards show up -- all part of his initiative to paint himself as champion of the working man, I suspect -- but a couple of New York reps showed as well. Of interesting: Democratic candidates are promising to boycott a debate if CBS news writers also go on strike, as they have threatened to do.

The LA Times says the debate, which is to be televised on CBS, might have to be scrapped anyway. If WGA members picket the debate, Edwards, along with Senators Obama and Clinton, would not show, because it would entail crossing a picket line, which would look bad to the mllions of union Democrats who tend to be among those who vote in primaries. Other, less-well-known candidates may see this as an opportunity to get their names out there, but the fact is that the odds are overwhelmingly that either Edwards, Obama, or Clinton will be the Democratic nominee, and a debate without any of them is no debate at all. ABC has rights to a Democratic debate and a Republican one in January; those will be held in New Hampshire. I've been to New Hampshire in winter. Nobody short of a Yeti is going to be able to picket those debates, believe you me.

Anyway, estimates I've seen for the end of the strike range from Deadline Hollywood Daily's projection of sometime before Christmas to one reporter (can't remember who, now -- sorry) predicting it could all be over by tonight. Well, it's four PM on the west coast. They could negotiate into the night, I suppose, but my guess is that we'll be waiting at least until tomorrow. The sooner the better, anyway. Lord knows I have a pile of good books to read, but it's so much easier to just watch "30 Rock", don't you think?