I've managed to avoid watching NFL playoffs and college bowl games but I'm getting worn down, I'm tellin' ya. If I got the Fox Movie Channel I would watch Less Than Zero tonight at 7pm because I'm just about as strung out as Robert Downey Jr.was in that flick. I'm not begging for the writers to capitulate, I want them to win, I'm just begging the networks to send me some shite to write about.......

David Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, and the WGA have reached an interim agreement that will allow the host to return to the air next Wednesday WITH writers. Letterman, who has been an outspoken supporter of the writers since the strike began, made it clear that he wanted to return to the air, but stressed that it was important to him to work out a deal with the WGA, so that he could return......

Two more strikes against two power players in showbiz today as fallout from the WGA strike. According to a report on KTLA.com this morning, "The union representing striking Hollywood writers has denied requests to allow their members to write for the Oscars - Hollywood's biggest, most glamorous showcase - and the Golden Globes." Interim agreements and waivers were dismissed Monday by the WGA. The Hollywood Foreign Press, who put on the annual Globes gala banquet......

In a bid to save late night television programming as we knew it, the Carson Daly show will jump the gun on production in the coming days; WGA strike settlement or no, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The late night talk shows have taken a big hit since the Writers' Strike began three weeks ago as insomniacs nationwide discover that Nightline never actually went off the air. Viacom's Comedy Central is losing its late......

From the Colbert Report writers. 'nuff said.......

Pixar's long streak of superb movies is starting to feel vaguely satanic, but I'm willing to keep embracing evil as long as it's this rich and funny. Ratatoille is the latest and resides in the very top tier. Michael Moore's Sicko didn't rouse as much rabble as Fahrenheit 9/11, but it's a better movie. Interesting that Seinfeld: Season 9 is dropping on the same day as Flight of the Conchords: Season 1 since Murray......

Now that the writer's strike is on, what will happen to your favorite shows? The LA Times has worked up a grid explaining the future status of shows like "Lost," "Scrubs," and "Battlestar Galactica". The real tragedy here, of course, is that "The Colbert Report" is immediately going into reruns. Heathrow and Chicago O'Hare share the dubious honor of TripAdvisor's Least Favorite Airport: and yes, LAX represents itself nicely at #4. LA Weekly takes......

This week we'd like to congratulate the -ist network's Mother Hen, Gothamist's Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine's Wired Rave Award. If that doesn't sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that's right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us. Austinist has a chat with the ever-fashionable Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, and managed to catch some local fashionistas making......

Pretty amazing game at Chavez Ravine last night. 48,995 (announced) fans watched the Dodgers come from behind and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 on a dramatic 10th-inning grand slam by Russell Martin. Better Known Friends of the Column, Joe Beimel (pitched a scoreless 8th against the heart of the Pirate order) and Wilson "El Gato" Valdez (scored the tying run in the bottom of the 9th on some aggressive baserunning, pictured), also contributed heartily to......

- If you're looking for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in LA public libraries, you will be sorely disappointed - LAT - Right now Eddie Van Halen is in rehab - TMZ - The USC football lockerroom is colorless, says black Trojan running backs and special teams coach Todd McNair, who dubbed the kickoff team The White Nation, and calls the other black coaches Brojans. Controversy brewed yesterday when one of the students created......

A Word Or 46: The Oscars blew its big TV wad all over the place so let's get on with our lives. The Daily Show and Colbert Report are back from hiatus -- did they think they were doing the Oscars again? What's their excuse? Lots of new TV tonight. Tonight - Monday - February 26th, 2007 Lakers @ Jazz (KCAL, 6:00 p.m.) Bobcats @ Clippers (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) How I Met Your Mother/The......

USC's Annenberg School for Communication has narrowed its search for a new dean to five candidates and will conduct meetings with the candidates -- open to students and faculty -- over the next few weeks. Last year Dean Geoffrey Cowan announced that he would step down after two five-year terms as dean of the Annenberg School, leading many to speculate on a qualified successor. He was endowed with the inaugural Annenberg Family Chair in Communication......

A Word Or 78: Last night I didn't watch anything that I had listed or even Tivoed. I ended up watching "Monster In a Box" on IFC because I had the privelege of seeing Spalding Gray a couple times and there he was again on TV. Wile watching the movie I found it extraordinarily sad to both hear this amazing person talk about his mother's suicide as well as allude to committing suicide himself.......

The below piece is in reference to Keith Olbermann's closing statement from his January 2nd show. Get the full transcript here; just scroll to the end for his 'special comment about sacrifice' and watch the clip after the jump. Full disclosure: I am admittedly a fan of Keith Olbermann and his P.O.V. The above-referenced clip is not his best work, and LAist Editor-in-Chief Tony Pierce said it felt "forced" and ran far too long,......

Colin Meloy might look like just another guy in line at Radio Shack, but he knows no fear. After being called out by Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report for utilizing his trademarked Green Screen effect, Meloy upped the ante -- and on December 20th on Comedy Central, we will all benefit from the “Decemberists vs. Stephen Colbert Guitar Solo Challenge.” Meloy also accepted LAist's dare of handing over a Top 10 best CDs......

Monday Night "Monday Night Football" (ESPN, 5:30 p.m.) Buccaneers @ Panthers "Kingdom Come" (IFC, 6:00 p.m.) Feel good neo-blacksploitation flick starring LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox "College Football" (PRIME 42, 7:00 p.m.) Oregon @ USC "NHL Hockey" (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) Sharks @ Kings "Prison Break" (FOX, 8 p.m.) see if these guys finally make it out of prison before the show goes on extended hiatus "Two and a Half......

NOTE: MOST NETWORKS WILL HAVE ELECTION COVERAGE STARTING AT 10:00 PM "La Strada" (IFC, 7:30 p.m.) A night of Italian neo-realist cinema continues with the story of wife-beating circus brute Anthony Quinn. Antonioni's "L'Avventura" follows "Dancing With the Stars" (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) The death march continues, 3 teams left "Nip/Tuck" (FX, 10:00 p.m.) OK, so Julia's effing a dwarf now and Sean gets to meet his own personal devil in person personally "The Daily......

"Naked" (IFC, 7:45 p.m.) David Thewlis stars as a bitterly comedic rapist in Mike Leigh's vicious flick "Visiting... With Huell Howser" (KCET, 8:00 p.m.) Whoah! Huell delivers a "Griffith Observatory Special! - h/t LA Observed "Survivor: Cook Islands" (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) Someone passes out at the Reward Challenge and it gets stormy on Exile Island "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office" (NBC, 8:00-9:00 p.m.) New episodes tonight! "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) The......

“Jericho” (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) The Mayor returns from his scouting trip to report on some really awful things he saw in the nuclear-apocalyptic world outside of town, what a shock. “Bones" (FOX, 8:00 p.m.) The show is back from hiatus “30 Rock” (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) This is the funnier of the 2 SNL rip-off shows, and thank goodness it’s only a ½ hour sitcom. “Lost” (ABC, 9:00 p.m.) Mr. Eko seems like he’s losing......

“Monday Night Football” (ESPN, 5:30 p.m.) New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings “NHL Hockey” (FSN, 7:30 p.m.) New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings “Everybody Hates Chris” (the CW, 8:00 p.m.) Chris gets robbed while guarding the cash register for Doc “House of 1000 Corpses” (IFC, 8:15 p.m.) Get in the Halloween mood with Rob Zombie’s neo-classic. “The Bachelor: Rome” (ABC, 9:00 p.m.) Lorenzo (I can’t believe I’m writing that name) knocks it down......

Harrison Ford, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw - Ellen, 4pm (NBC) Red Sox at Anaheim Angels, 7pm (UPN) Dodgers at San Diego Padres, 7pm (FSPT) William Cohen - Daily Show, 8pm (Comedy Central) Paul Krugman - Colbert Report, 8:30pm (Comedy Central) Big Brother - 9pm (CBS) When the Levees Broke: Acts 3 & 4 - 9pm (HBO) Rock Star: Supernova - 10pm (CBS) Chris Elliott, Rep. Nancy Pelosi - David Letterman, 11:30p (CBS) Matt Costa......

Last night was "about community. It's about you playing the role of the community-based policing component essential to keeping crime down," explains Mayor Villaraigosa. Best lede: "They're calling it 'Slaughterfest' and promising concertgoers will "bleed metal" at the Whittier Community Theatre later this month." NPR visits some local DMVs: Drivers license photographs are notoriously ugly, even for the beautiful people of Los Angeles. Producer Ayala Ben-Yehuda visited two Department of Motor Vehicles offices in......

Today City Councilman Greig Smith will propose new housing and pension incentives to help boost the LAPD's flagging recruitment efforts. Hmm... will the success of Crash have any effect? Matt Dillon's LAPD officer is a prick, but he's also kind of heroic, and he gets to handle Thandie Newton. The streets of the Valley are having their own crashes: hit-and-runs are up. Surface streets and highways together total to more than 9,000 in 2005.......