Strike out

I'll keep this brief. If an actors' strike messes up my fall tv season, I'm going to be really really angry. Beyond angry. I might start a strike of my own. Against TV and all its overpaid blowhards. Sorry, was that too harsh?

Read about TV's imminent destruction: "TV Watch: Another TV Strike Could Mean Another Marketing Problem For TV Executives"

Grey's: no longer gray

I gave up on Grey's Anatomy back in December, but I figured I'd be back, so I saved all the episodes my DVR recorded between then and now. On Sunday, I sat down and watched them all -- and I'm so glad I did. Grey's. Is. Back.

I don't know why I was frustrated with it before. Maybe it was all the blood during sweeps in the fall. I didn't sign up to watch gross ER-like scenes. (Seth Green, I love ya, but the exploding artery storyline was dis-gusting.) But I honestly think the Grey's writers had gone a bit astray.

Why? Logically, it makes sense to blame Private Practice, Shonda Rimes' Grey's spinoff, for distracting Shonda from her moneymaker. Note that the eps are getting good again now that Private Practice is off the air. You could also blame the Isaiah Washington scandal for distracting the whole Grey's staff and screwing with the chemistry on the show. Or maybe Shonda lost sight of what Grey's viewers really want to see (Strong Cristina, Izzy the Fighter, Lovelorn/Psychotic Meredith, Humanized Bailey, Sensitive but Also Asshole-ish Derek, Unmarried George, and a lot less of the minor/new characters).

Regardless, we're finally back. There's less blood, a little humor, a lot more heart, and I heard that Derek and Meredith are getting together for real at the end of the season. Maybe this is one show that was helped and not hurt by the writers' strike. Seriously.

Bearded trainwreck.

I still love Conan, but I'm watching his writerless broadcast right now... I can't bear to see it. The man's got a beard, and it looks awful. More than that, he's so nervous that he's out of breath. And he's quite obviously trying to make it bad on purpose. Part of the shtick to get the writers' strike settled, and to get people to watch his show. Painful. He's spinning his wedding ring on his desk right now. I mean, I get it, but -- please. Conan. Come on. You're a writer.

That's why he's doing it though. You can tell he feels like Benedict Arnold.

Let's just get this strike settled, eh?

Waaaa

For the record, I'm getting pretty crabby about this writer's strike. I miss my tv shows.

Writers' Strike

Interesting thoughts about the writers strike, with some nice number comparisons to put things in perspective. Friedman rubs me the wrong way usually, but this is worth a read. From Media Post:

Writers And Networks: Internet Dollars With Less Sense

Speaking of the strike, Carson Daly was the first strikebreaker last night. Supposedly he didn't want his staff fired, which was set to happen today, but as the astute (and incredibly annoying and unprofessional) newscaster pointed out this morning, he probably didn't want his SHOW to get canceled. Since it's a waste of space. Didn't watch it last night, but I have little respect for his writers, so I'm sure it wasn't much different than usual. Terrible, terrible show.

Conan O'Brien: marry me.

Another man I'm in love with, even more than I was before. Move over Stewart and Colbert. Out of the way, Joss Whedon and Aaron Sorkin. Conan O'Brien is my man.

NBC was going to lay off Conan's production staff of 80 today because of the writers' strike, so instead Conan's going to pay all of their salaries.

Read the article here: "Conan O'Brien grows a strike beard"

Also, check this site out: Late Night Underground