The WGA on Saturday announced that it would seek to broker deals with individual studios and production companies, seeing as its talks with the AMPTP haven't budged since Dec. 7. "As you know, the AMPTP is currently unwilling to bargain with us," the guild said in a letter to its members. "The internal dynamics of the AMPTP make it difficult for the conglomerates to reach consensus and negotiate with us on a give-and-take basis. We believe this multi-employer structure inhibits individual companies from pursuing their self-interest in negotiations."

The WGA's announcement was quickly welcomed by at least one shingle — David Letterman's. "Worldwide Pants has always been a writer-friendly company," Late Show executive producer Rob Burnett says in a statement to the AP. "Since the beginning of the strike, we have expressed our willingness to sign an interim agreement with the guild consistent with its positions in this dispute. We're happy that the guild has now adopted an approach that might make this possible."

The AMPTP promptly dismissed the tactic, saying in a statement, "This is merely the latest indication that the WGA organizers are grasping for straws and have never had a coherent strategy for engaging in serious negotiations. The AMPTP may have different companies with different assets in different businesses, but they are all unified in one common goal — to reach an agreement with writers that positions everyone in our industry for success in a rapidly changing marketplace."

NBC: Leno, O'Brien returning to air

(CNN) -- The new year will see new shows from Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, says NBC.


Jay Leno (left, with Gordon Ramsay) and Conan O'Brien will return to air January 2, says NBC.

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" will return with all-new episodes on January 2, according to a statement from NBC. The shows had been in reruns for two months because of the Writers Guild of America strike.

"During the 1988 writers strike, Johnny Carson reluctantly returned to 'The Tonight Show' without his writers after two months," said NBC's Executive Vice President for Late Night & Primetime Series, Rick Ludwin, in the statement. "Both Jay and Conan have supported their writers during the first two months of this WGA strike and will continue to support them. However, there are hundreds of people who will be able to return to work as a result of Jay's and Conan's decision."

Both shows will return without their writers, The Associated Press reported, leading to conjecture over what form the programs will take. In recent years, late-night talk shows have been as much about scripted comedy routines as talk, unlike the raconteur-driven versions of the form hosted by people such as Jack Paar.

In a statement, O'Brien acknowledged that "[a]n unwritten version of 'Late Night,' though not desirable, is possible -- and no one has to be fired. So, it is only after a great deal of thought that I have decided to go back on the air on January 2nd," he said.

"I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers," he continued. "Of course, my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible. My sincerest hope is that all of my writers are back soon, working under a contract that provides them everything they deserve."