Late Show UK

Monday 18th February - Reese Witherspoon, Alex Cambert, Gary Allan
Tuesday 19th February - Will Ferrell, Hayden Christensen, the Hives
Wednesday 20th February - Garth Brooks, Christina Ricci
Thursday 21st February - Heidi Klum, James McAvoy, John Fogerty
Friday 22nd February - Bill O’Reilly, Patricia Arquette, Herbie Hancock

Updated 18th February 2008.

Guest Listings updated - www.lateshowuk.com/guest-listings

After 14 weeks, the Writers Guild of America strike is now over. WGA members voted for a deal with the AMPTP and it’s reported the deal was approved by 92.5% of those members. Writers have been on strike in the US since early November 2007, following a dispute over the amount of money they get for online and DVD sales of their work. The new deal addresses those issues, and all writers return to work this week. The US TV industry has been cripplied by the strike, meaning such networks as Fox needing to bring in American Idol and other reality shows & unscripted programming to fill the gaps left behind by scripted comedy and drama that couldn’t be produced. The movie industry hasn’t been affected as much as TV, as films are made over a much longer timespan than TV series.

The BBC News website reports “the strike is said to have cost Los Angeles’ film and TV industry around $733m (£374m), with the wider economy losing around $1.3bn (£663m)” and that we can expect new programmes in “about two months”. The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Late Night With Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report all have their writing teams back and new shows are already being made. The Late Show With David Letterman and the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson have had their writing team since January, when David Letterman’s production company Worldwide Pants Inc agreed an interim deal.

The Oscars (which are being hosted by The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart this year) can now go ahead as planned, with writers for the ceremony needing to produce immense numbers of scripts in a short timespan before the show airs on the 24th February. Speaking to the BBC, the boss of CBS Les Moonves said “At the end of the day, everybody won”. Media website Digital Spy report “The result - with nearly 3,500 for and 283 against the agreement - was announced yesterday evening Pacific Time, during the early hours of today GMT”.

BBC News - “Hollywood writers to end strike”
Digital Spy - “US writers’ strike officially ends”
BBC News - “Writers prepare to return to work”

Guest Listings updated - www.lateshowuk.com/guest-listings

So, the writers strike should be over this week if the deal goes through (Jon reminds us it’s only “tentative”) - but is this the big news Jon Stewart has for us, or is there something else on his mind, and what is President Bush talking about?

^ Videos are from TheDailyShow.com

A brief update on the US writers strike from BBC News - “Leaders of striking US film and TV writers have voted in favour of a deal that will end their three-month strike” and the BBC add “union rank and file members are now set to ratify the decision in a vote on Tuesday, after which they are expected to return to work”. Read more on the BBC News website.

Update: Media website Digital Spy also have some news on the deal - “There will now be ballots to approve the agreement in Los Angeles and New York on Tuesday. Members will be notified of the result as late as midnight PST. If, as is strongly expected, it is positive they will be able to work the next day” but they also say “after Tuesday’s ballots there will be a postal vote by members which could take 10 to 12 days to complete”. Watch this space.

BBC News - “Writers’ leaders back strike deal”
Digital Spy - “Writers could return on Wednesday”

Guest Listings updated for the Late Show With David Letterman - www.lateshowuk.com/guest-listings

Monday 25th February - Will Ferrell, Michael McDonald
Tuesday 26th February - Courteney Cox, Thomas Friedman, Chingy with Ludacris
Wednesday 27th February - Kid Scientists, Natalie Portman, Kenna
Thursday 28th February - Amy Adams, Jamie Oliver, Liam Finn
Friday 29th February - Woody Harrelson, Tommy Tiernan

These are US airdates. Check the Upcoming Shows box in the sidebar for Diva TV.

Updated 27th February 2008.

Monday 18th February - Dennis Quaid, Ryan Newman, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Tuesday 19th February - Randy Jackson, Saffron Burrows, Ray Davies
Wednesday 20th February - Kelsey Grammer, grocery champion Erika Jensen, Foo Fighters
Thursday 21st February - Steve Martin, hand shadows performance with Raymond Crowe
Friday 22nd February - Diddy, Al Lubel

The Late Show is back on UK TV screens on new channel, Diva TV - Available on Virgin Media channel 192 and Sky Digital channel 282 - Letterman is shown at 9pm weeknights and reruns on Saturdays and Sundays at 11pm. Diva TV shows it on a delay - which varies - so check the “Upcoming Shows” box at the top right of the sidebar for Diva TV schedules (listings on the “Guest Listings” pages are US airdates).

Updated 23rd February 2008.

Conan O’Brien and Stephen Colbert dropped by to The Daily Show on Monday, to put an end to the “Who Made Mike Huckabee?” debate. Colbert visits first, then Conan comes in - with the Moment Of Zen at the end involving the showdown with Conan, Colbert and Jon. The whole thing was pretty hilarious - video clips are embedded below.

^ Videos are from TheDailyShow.com

A slight change to the previous reports - the striking Writers Guild of America members won’t be returning to work on Monday, but will instead be voting on whether to accept the proposed “tentative deal”. The Underwire blog on the Wired Blog Network say the writers are “most likely heading back to their keyboards by Wednesday” and that “writers will vote on the contract within the next two days”. Writers Guild of America members heard the deal in a Los Angeles meeting yesterday. The Associated Press reports “about 3,500 writers packed the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles to hear from union leaders about the proposed deal that was finalized just hours before meetings were held on both coasts by the Writers Guild of America” and that “Hollywood writers on Saturday gave resounding support to a tentative agreement”.

Underwire (Wired Blog Network) - “WGA Strike Vote Pending by Monday”
The Associated Press - “AP Top News at 4:29 a.m. EST”

Guest Listings updated for all shows - www.lateshowuk.com/guest-listings

Site engine upgraded to Wordpress 2.3.3.

Guest Listings page layout cleaned up and refreshed - www.lateshowuk.com/guest-listings

Post updated on 9th February at 18:30.