Producers See Shadow, Strike May End

Did film and television producers step out of their offices this Groundhog Day, see their shadows and finally realize there was going to be a long season of no new movies or shows if they didn’t start making some concessions?

There are reports that a settlement of the almost three-month-old strike by Hollywood writers could come as early as this week. It appears there has been some resolution of the Writers Guild’s demand for payment of work that play online.

Who knows what may have finally put them over the top? Perhaps it was the Groundhog-esque nature of TV these days, filled with a multitude of shows you’ve already seen. Maybe it was the possibility of the Oscars turning out like the travesty that passed as the Golden Globes this year. Or maybe it was the prospect of the airwaves being filled with Canadian TV shows, as U.S. networks pick up Flashpoint, The Listener, Sophie and continue to sniff around The Border. The horror! In any case, it will be good to see writers getting recognition for their work, even if my PVR backlog hasn’t dropped below 80% in the ensuing labor dispute.

And speaking of Groundhog Day, there are a surprising number of rodent prognosticators these days. From the National Post’s count there are at least 10, with eight of them calling for an early spring and two calling for a longer winter. One of the naysayers is Punxsutawney Phil, but he hasn’t been quite right since Bill Murray rolled through town.

The Groundhog Almanac:
Shubnedacadie Sam (Nova Scotia): Spring
Punxsutawney Phil (Pennsylvania): Winter
Wiarton Willie (Ontario): Spring
General Beauregard Lee (Georgia): Spring
Balzac Billy (Alberta): Spring
Buckeye Chuck (Ohio): Spring
Staten Island Chuck (New York state): Spring
Malverne Mel (New York state): Spring
Woody Woodchuck (Michigan): Spring
Ms. G. (Massachusetts): Winter