Live From NY, But Not On-Air

Late-night shows become first victims of TV writers' strike

(NEWSER) - Stephen Colbert’s fake dreams of becoming president ended in South Carolina last week, and the Writers Guild strike has put the final nail in the coffin of his White House aspirations. “I am going off the air until I can talk about this without weeping,” the fake candidate said today—not coincidentally, the same day his show was forced into reruns, ABC News reports. More»

Or latest sketch just a 'vehicle to make anal sex joke'

(NEWSER) - Saturday’s SNL cold opener—which poked fun at Obama’s deficit spending—conclusively marked the show as an “occasionally humorous right-wing propaganda organ,” writes Ethan Porter of True/Slant . SNL’s been obviously anti-Obama since the primaries, pausing only to mock Sarah Palin, who's far less popular than Obama. “The show, fat and rich in its old age, reflects the politics of its executive producer, Lorne Michaels, who maxed out to McCain in 08.” More»

(NEWSER) - Some are complaining that NBC used Brian Williams’ interview with President Obama to hawk its late night shows, Deadline Hollywood reports. The interview featured plugs for both Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show takeover and Fred Armisen’s impression of Obama on Saturday Night Live. “Obama owes NBC so much for shilling for him, he wanted so shill back,” one right-wing commentator quipped. More»

WGA miffed by non-union writers

(NEWSER) - Late-night hosts don’t get all their gags in-house—scores of wannabe comedy writers bombard the likes of Jay and Dave with their one-liners, the Los Angeles Times reports, then anxiously wait for the show to air "to find out if you got a joke on or not,” says one. The problem? Freelancers earn $75 to $100 per joke, get no credit, and undermine jobs protected under the writers guild. More»

Guild could expel late-night host

(NEWSER) - The Writers Guild of America claims Jay Leno broke union rules when he hit the air with his own material during the 2007-08 strike, the Los Angeles Times reports. Leno denies wrongdoing. The accusation against the host, who was publicly supportive of striking writers, was kept mum until he appeared before the union’s trial committee yesterday. Leno could be expelled from the guild. More»