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In the event that you had your television turned up too loud to hear the city-wide array of air-raid sirens sounded at the conclusion of last night's WGA meeting, the union's negotiating committee recommended that the Guild go on strike, a mass walkout that could begin on Monday. (Stayed tuned for the timing announcement that's sure to ruin your weekend—if not the next several months of your life—later today!) We begin our day, as we must, with a rundown of strike-related news:

· One great way to make thousands of Guild writers want to walk the picket line is to insist that they accept the same fucking they received on DVDs for new media, denying them the opportunity to erase the painful memory of their last buggering by the studios: "Thursday night, nearly 3,000 WGA members packed the LA Convention Center. At this meeting, the largest membership meeting in Guild history, writers heard the WGA Negotiating Committee's report on the status of negotiations.

The Negotiating Committee reported that the AMPTP had called a halt to negotiations by demanding we accept the extension of the current DVD formula to new media. They also reported that in three months of negotiations, the AMPTP has not responded in any serious manner to our initial proposals. The Negotiating Committee then announced its unanimous recommendation that the WGAW Board and the WGAE Council call a strike. [WGA.org]
· Perhaps realizing that any statement they made would probably be drowned out by the 3,000 voices raised in solidarity, the AMPTP quietly announced that it will be around this weekend if anyone feels like having a chat about a new contract: "By the WGA leadership's actions at the bargaining table, we are not surprised by tonight's recommendation. We are ready to meet and are prepared to close this contract this weekend." [AMPTP.org]
·Emboldened by the secret slave colony of nonunion scribes he began to establish on the moon months ago in anticipation of a strike, CBS Corp chief/burgeoning galactic dictator Les Moonves laughed off the impact of a walkout on his company yesterday, promising that his writer-drones can pick up where WGA labor left off immediately: "We are prepared with a full slate of firstrun programming now and at midseason. The bottom line is this: In the event of a strike, we anticipate no material impact on the company for the remainder of the season." [Variety]
· Mayor Villaraigosa to the rescue! We're saved! Call off the strike! [THR]
· "'This feels like Armageddon,' said entertainment attorney David Colden," echoing the feelings of end-of-days dread we've been feeling for three months. [LAT]
· Though many businesses dependent on the industry will suffer from a strike, at least one corporate behemoth sees a potential financial windfall: "Some may find an upside in the disruption. Starbucks thinks it might benefit from more people looking for a place to hang out, said a corporate spokeswoman." [NY Times]