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'Desperate Housewives' hit by US writers strike
2007-11-08
US television series "Desperate Housewives" has fallen victim to Hollywood's writers' strike, reports said Wednesday, as analysts grimly forecast the feud may rumble on for months. Production on new episodes of the sitcom which chronicles the fortunes of the women of Wisteria Lane was to halt on Wednesday, according to entertainment journals Daily Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. The show is among the first major US network series to go into shutdown because of the strike, which began on Monday after bitter contract talks between writers and producers broke down. The Writers Guild of America is seeking to secure payment from sales of television series and films downloaded or broadcast on the Internet. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have rejected the demand. The strike is Hollywood's first for nearly 20 years and analysts have warned losses from the dispute could top one billion dollars. Popular talk shows such as "Tonight with Jay Leno" and the "Late Show with David Letterman" have already gone off the air because of the strike. On Tuesday, writers picketed the shooting of a "Desperate Housewives" episode in Los Angeles. Actress Eva Longoria later emerged to distribute pizza to picketers and declare support as filming prepared to halt. "We are done, and we'll be on the lines supporting you," said Longoria. The series' creator, Marc Cherry, has been one of the WGA's lead negotiators during the dispute. With no formal negotiations ongoing, entertainment press reports on Wednesday said both writers and producers were digging in for a protracted stand-off that could run deep into 2008. "My gut tells me at this point that it's going to be a long strike," Alan Brunswick, a former AMPTP counsel, told the Hollywood Reporter. "Both sides at this point are too entrenched for it to end quickly. I want to be wrong about this one, but the two sides are so angry with each other that it's going to be awhile." The Los Angeles Times reported meanwhile that major studios were planning on suspending long-term joint production deals with writer-producers, possibly leading to hundreds of lay-offs. The report said studios would distribute letters on Wednesday informing writer-producers whose companies do not have shows currently in production. "Anyone who's not working on pilots or shows is going to get suspension letters," one top studio executive told The Times.
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