Playoff, errr Strike Beards...

Here's Dave and Conan with their Strike Beards...interesting...

I'd Give the nod to Dave...he does have a few years on Conan...altough I did see a better pic of Conan's beard...but what can you do?

They're Back!

JAY LENO and CONAN O'BRIEN are coming back to late-night television on January 2nd, ending a two-month hiatus in support of the writers' strike. The hosts of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien are members of the Writers Guild of America, but they expressed concern yesterday for the welfare of their non-writing employees. Leno said in a statement, quote, "We fully support our writers and I think they understand my decision."

Until the writers' strike is resolved, neither Leno nor O'Brien will have writers to rely on for jokes and other material, a reality that O'Brien acknowledged yesterday. He said, quote, "I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers and I'll do the best version of Late Night I can under the circumstances. Of course, my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible." No celebrity guests for either show have been announced yet. Indeed, it will be interesting to see what stars will be willing to appear on the shows, under the circumstances.

Still, the Guild appears to be forgiving, for now. The WGA responded to the news yesterday by saying, quote, "Jay and Conan have been supportive of us from the beginning, and we understand the pressure they're under from NBC."

There is precedent for a late-night host returning to work during a writers' strike -- JOHNNY CARSON did it in 1988, after two months of repeats. CARSON DALY resumed production of his NBC late-night show earlier this month.

What impact Leno and O'Brien's decision will have on other late-night hosts remains to be seen. DAVID LETTERMAN's production company has expressed interest in reaching an individual agreement with the Writers Guild to bring back his CBS show and its writers, at least until an overall settlement with producers is reached.

The Tonight Show and Late Night have aired reruns since the writers' strike began on November 5th.

TV Tonight 12/17

ABC: Duel (NEW), Notes From the Underbelly (NEW), October Road (NEW)
CBS: How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami (NEW)
NBC: Clash of the Choirs (NEW), Journeyman (NEW)
FOX: House, K-Ville (NEW)
CW: Everybody Hates Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game

Alex, I'll take "thanks" for 400...

ALEX TREBEK was released from a Los Angeles hospital on Saturday after suffering a minor heart attack earlier in the week. He said in a statement, quote, "I'm truly overwhelmed by the great show of support and compassion expressed in the past few days to me, my family and my co-workers." The 67-year-old Trebek was hospitalized last Monday night.

Trebek plans to spend the holidays with his family before returning to the Jeopardy! studio in mid-January for the show's "Teen Tournament

TV Hodgepodge

Karate Kid III star SEAN KANAN has received five years' probation and 18 months of alcohol-education classes following his arrest in August on suspicion of DUI. He had pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges in the case, but according to E! Online, he entered a no contest plea yesterday to one of the charges. Since he already had a DUI conviction under his belt, he was also slapped with four days in jail. However, that sentence was stayed pending his completion of the rest of his terms. The 41-year-old Kanan played RALPH MACCHIO's nemesis in Karate Kid III, and has also starred on the TV soaps General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful...

PAMELA ANDERSON has addressed her future TV plans on her blog loud and clear -- "No reality show!" On her website, she refutes a recent report that she and husband RICK SALOMON will star in a reality show centering around their marriage. Anderson writes that she was considering a TV project, but only to, quote, "promote and have people see what it's like to create a show and be on stage starring in a big Vegas production." She recently appeared in magician HANS KLOK's Las Vegas show...

Sticks and Stones...

The Writers Guild of America claims that producers aren't showing any holiday spirit by refusing to promptly negotiate an end to the six-week-old writers' strike. As a result, the WGA said yesterday it has filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The union alleges that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, violated federal law when it broke off negotiations last week until the writers drop some of their demands. Furthermore, the WGA also claims that the alliance is acting as a Scrooge to Hollywood employees currently out of work because of the strike.

The AMPTP countered in a statement by saying that the, quote, "baseless desperate NLRB complaint is just the latest indication that the WGA's negotiating strategy has achieved nothing for working writers." The National Labor Relations Board is expected to have an investigator look into the complaint.

While the writers and producers continue their stalemate, the Directors Guild of America says it could begin its own contract negotiations with studios next month. The current DGA agreement ends in June.The writers have been on strike since November 5th. Among other things, they're seeking more compensation for web-delivered and digital programming.

It's the Tonight Show, With...

Those of you tired of watching old reruns of late-night TV shows could soon have new episodes to look forward to. According to Variety, several late-night hosts could go back to work in the near future, following a hiatus that began when the writers went on strike last month. NBC's JAY LENO and CONAN O'BRIEN most likely would return early next month, regardless of whether the strike is still in effect by then. Other hosts could also return soon, although these plans are far from a certainty since all are cautious of becoming the first among their group to tape new episodes. CARSON DALY has already resumed production of his late-night show.