So let it be written.
As expected, members of the Writers Guild of America have voted to end the writers' strike that has been plaguing the entertainment industry for more than three months, meaning film and TV scribes can go back to living off of caffeine and adrenaline as soon as Wednesday.
Per the official tally of those who weighed in Tuesday in Beverly Hills and New York, 92.5 percent of WGA members approved the measure, with 3,492 saying yea and 283 voting against pulling the plug.
"The strike is over. Our membership has voted, and writers can go back to work," WGA West president Patric Verrone said Tuesday evening.
“This was not a strike we wanted, but one we had to conduct in order to win jurisdiction and establish appropriate residuals for writing in new media and on the Internet. Those advances now give us a foothold in the digital age. Rather than being shut out of the future of content creation and delivery, writers will lead the way as TV migrates to the Internet and platforms for new media are developed.”
But while most everyone was in agreement that returning to work is the way to go, the writers have not yet officially approved the terms of the new three-year contract hammered out last week by guild leaders and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Writers in New York and Los Angeles were briefed on the arrangement on Saturday and a separate contract ratification ballot will be mailed out over the next few days. Members have until Feb. 25 to cast their votes. Meetings will be held that day to vote in person, as well.
In the meantime, the scribes can get to scribblin' again.
While the late-night talk show scene has been back in business since New Year's, now the shows not presided over by David Letterman or Craig Ferguson will again have writing staffs in addition to beleaguered hosts scrabbling for jokes.
Although campaign season perked up when The Daily Show and The Colbert Report returned to TV, the 2008 presidential hopefuls will have to enjoy these last few days of comparable peace. Saturday Night Live, in all its candidate-spoofing glory, will be back in business Feb. 23. Tina Fey will host the first new episode since the strike began Nov. 5, and Ellen Page is in line to host Mar. 1.
But first, Page can go to the Oscars on Feb. 24. With the news over the weekend that the warring parties had struck a deal, the 80th Annual Academy Awards once again became something to look forward to.
Free from the fear of picketers, boycotting SAG members and an embarrassing ratings plunge, the soft breeze you felt Saturday was the telecast's producers breathing a sigh of relief.
"I am relieved that the men and women of the entertainment industry are going back to work," Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said in a statement, "and I am ecstatic" that the Oscars can proceed "full steam ahead with talented writers working on the show, a fantastic array of presenters and performers and, most importantly, the ability for all of our honored nominees to attend without hesitation or discomfort."
On the sweet and sour side of things, production can resume on dozens of sitcoms and dramas that have been shut down for weeks—but not on all of them. While more than 60 series were affected, not all of them were established enough to weather the storm.
ABC, for one, in announcing its 2008-2009 renewals has not yet rendered a verdict on Women's Murder Club, Boston Legal, Men in Trees and October Road.
While WGA leaders have admitted that the terms they arrived at are not all ideal, they have also remained positive about what was gained—jurisdiction over new-media content, doubled residuals from downloads, a cut of the revenue from ad-supported content streamed online—and the importance of the stand their union took against the biggest suits in Hollywood.
“The success of this strike is a significant achievement not only for ourselves but the entire creative community, now and in the future,” WGA East president Michael Winship said. “The commitment and solidarity of our members made it happen and have been an inspiration not only to us but the entire organized labor movement. We will build on that energy and unity to make our two unions stronger than ever.”
"At the end of the day, everybody won," CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves, one of the honchos repping the studios during the latest round of talks, told the Associated Press. "It was a fair deal and one that the companies can live with, and it recognizes the large contribution that writers have made to the industry."
(Remember to keep checking E! Online's Watch with Kristin blog for the status of those shows on the bubble and for when you can expect your favorites to return.)