Hollywood writers, studios agree to new talks: union

LOS ANGELES: After a nearly two-week walkout, Hollywood scriptwriters and studio owners have agreed to begin new talks on November 26, the Writers Guild of America said on late Friday.   

A brief statement issued by the union announced the decision and said no further details would be forthcoming. More than 3,000 film and television writers went on strike on November 5 seeking a bigger cut from Internet sales and downloads, on the urgings of the 12,000-member guild.   

On Friday, the WGA got support from former senator and 2008 Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, who joined picketers outside NBC studios in Burbank, north of here. "I'm proud to be with you in this fight for justice. And I will be with you every day when I'm president of the United States," he told the strikers through a bullhorn, according to a WGA statement.  

The day the screen writers went on strike, the Democrats' leading contender for the White House, former first lady and New York Senator Hillary Clinton also came out in favor of the strikers' right to a fair cut of all media sales.   

The strike is the first by the WGA for nearly 20 years and has plunged the industry into turmoil, halting production on hit television shows like 'Desperate Housewives' and forcing the postponement of '24'.   

Popular late night chat shows hosted by Jay Leno and David Letterman have also gone into shutdown this week because of the strike, which some industry analysts believe may last several months.