As enraged striking writers (and sympathetic parties) descend on the Fox Studio, Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes was online Friday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the dearth of late-night laughs, the state of negotiations, the spins the companies and guild are putting on the news and what's in store for your beloved prime-time programs.

The transcript follows.

Lisa Watches So You Don't Have To: "Grey's Anatomy"| de Moraes on TV blog| On TV discussion transcripts.

De Moraes has written "The TV Column" for The Post since 1998. She served as the TV editor for the entertainment industry trade publication the "Hollywood Reporter" for almost a decade.

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Washington: Hi Lisa. I've started watching the new season of Nip/Tuck (I know, I know, stop judging me!) and I have to say that Julian McMahon needs to stop taking off his clothes. He's put on weight and it's not pretty. And this week they had him pose naked for a calendar and he was suppose to be hot! Ugh. If his character was a woman on the show, there would be a string of fat jokes.

Lisa de Moraes: And isn't it unfair that there aren't a string of fat jokes running about the Internet and on late night shows about his alleged hot posting for calendar? Can we please take up the slack and start a string of fat jokes?

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to figure out why that Victoria's secret model was lying dead in the desert between Los Angeles and Vegas in the walk-up ads for "Nip/Tuck's" season debut. Why would anyone kill a Victoria's Secret model? Does this mean we'll have to suffer Julian McMahon in his undies during CBS's broadcast of the "VC Holiday Undies Show"? Why has Tyra Banks not weighed in on this on her syndicated talker?

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Rockville, Md.: Hi Lisa: I was a little unclear after reading yesterday's column -- "24" definitely is not coming back, or maybe is not coming back? Thanks.

washingtonpost.com: Fox Hears 'Strike' and Makes The Call: '24,' You're Out! (Post, Nov. 8)

Lisa de Moraes: Fox officially says it's not coming back unless the strike ends soon-ish because the network has a pact with viewers that they'll get to see all 24 episodes of "24" uninterrupted. I'm guessing that if the strike ends before "24" was going to debut, in January, they can and will slap it back into the schedule. But if the strike doesn't end until, say March, Fox won't be able to run all the episodes before the end of the TV season and would hold off. Unless they decide to air it two nights a week, like "American Idol." If I'm Kiefer Sutherland, am I pissed that I cut a deal with the LA courts to divide up my slammer time for DUI so as to accommodate production of the series, even though it meant more slammer time, and now it's all for naught?

Anyway -- back to your question: Honestly, I think Fox's announcement was part of a well-choreographed dance -- the Hooey to the Strike Polka -- its parent company, News Corporation, was doing on Wednesday. The network made its Strike Schedule announcement shortly after NewsCorp COO Peter Chernin was on the phone with investors talking about the company's financial state and explaining how the strike could actually be a good thing for NewsCorp. Among the points he made:

a) Fox has "American Idol," which will not be shut down by strike.

b) "American Idol" could do an even better number this year because scripted competition may be in repeats.

c) Fox has animated series on Sunday, which were written well in advance because of the peculiarities of producing animated series.

Chernin also threw in another observation, that the network will save a lot of money in its cancelled producer overhead deals -- many studios cancelled them this week -- and by not producing pilots for next season, because the scripts aren't shootable. Of course one might point out that while saving money by not producing pilots for next season, Fox also would wind up with, um, no pilots for next season. It's a kinda "let them eat cake" strategy, but I hear it played okay with investors listening in.

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Writer's strike: If the strike goes too long can we form a group and take over "Grey's"? Just think of it -- we could write George/Izzie out, be mean to Meredith and promote the characters worth keeping!

washingtonpost.com: Channel This: Constipated Couples on 'Grey's Anatomy' (washingtonpost.com, Nov. )

Lisa de Moraes: Funny your mentioning it; in my weekly "Grey's Anatomy" blog poll, by far the most popular choice as to what viewers would like to see happen to Gizzie in upcoming episodes is die a tragic death in a freak accident while visiting the Space Needle. Send your scabbed episodes my way!

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Manhattan, N.Y.: Lisa, I love your chats. I want to scream about the :01 and :02 endings of some of the shows. They're only designed to screw over the viewer and their DVRs. As a half-black, half-Jewish openly flamboyant gay man, I would vote for Huckabee or some other really conservative person if he/she supported a measure banning this practice. Thanks.

Lisa de Moraes: If candidates only knew how many votes they could drum up on this issue, don't you think they'd jump right on it? Wonder why their staffs haven't figured it out, like they've figured out that every year they need to start wailing about how TV is making kids violent, fat, stupid, horny...

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Centreville, Va.: Just wanted to say I thought "30 Rock" was great last night -- loved the green theme running through the NBC lineup. I've been a fan of the show since the first episode, but I really thought they turned it up a notch last night -- great episode.

Lisa de Moraes: Preaching to the choir about last night's episode. Sadly, it did not translate into a bump in ratings -- 6.6 million viewers which, while a great cable number, is not what NBC needs to stay afloat. And once again, "30 Rock" scored fewer viewers than "Earl" before it. Of course, "30 Rock" goes up when DVRing is taken into account, but not enough to make it a hit.

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Washington: Wait, you're not on strike too, by extension?

washingtonpost.com: Writers' Strike Puts Fox in the Catbird Seat (Post, Nov. 9)

Lisa de Moraes: Hahahahahaha! I'm gonna shut up now before I get myself into trouble...

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Washington: I can't stand Whoopi. She's so bossy and know-it-all and self-righteous. I know some may say the same of Rosie, but not me. I miss Rosie!

Lisa de Moraes: You sense a trend in Babs's hiring practices on "The View"? Personally, I find Whoopi less tiring than Rosie, who just seemed so darned angry and constipated all the time. I had to take a nap every day after watching her on the show, which really cut into my reporting time...

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Chillin': Did anyone else find it amusing that while Matt Lauer and Al Roker returned mid-week from their far-flung reporting sites, NBC left heavily parka-ed Ann Curry at the South Pole?

Lisa de Moraes: Maybe it's her new beat -- ice melting. But I miss her fabulous wardrobe, so I say, bring her back to 30 Rock -- stat!

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Washington: So is Ellen getting a lot of negative press for not honoring the writers strike?

Lisa de Moraes: Mostly because someone who says they're a former writer for her posted something on the Internet that got snapped up in lots of places, saying she was dreadful to her writers in the past. Ellen is not the only talk show host whose show is still on the air during the strike...

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Writer's Strike and Reality TV: Isn't the writer's strike a little self-defeating, as it gives the networks an opportunity to put out reality shows that are cheaper to make, thus giving the public an opportunity to fall in love with reality programming all over again? Once people start enjoying reality TV, doesn't that just make networks question the need for so many scripted shows? As much as I appreciate shows like "Lost," "Heroes" and "Pushing Daisies," which make me thank the TV gods that there are great writers out there, I'm also looking forward to "Amazing Race" and "Project Runway."

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, these days it's an enormously risky move on the writers' part. And let's not forget, for every "Pushing Daisies" there's an "According to Jim" that makes you like reality TV all the more. And don't get me started on film ... I watched a video on YouTube this week in which I was being asked to feel alarmed that the writer of "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" was now unable to make an income writing while the strike was going on. Frankly I consider that a service to humanity. ... On the other hand, while striking somehow seems such an old-fashioned way of trying to exert pressure, I like it for that...

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Don't mess with good writing: It's fitting that the strike slogans have been very catchy. Also, I'm glad to see celebrities openly owning up to the fact that they need writers for the the funny/dramatic things that they are famous for saying. Go writers! P.S. Does this mean the everyday American could meet a lot of celebrities by supporting the writers and joining the picket line or taking food to them?

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, there have been articles written about how this is the best of all times for autograph hounds, celebrity stalkers and general film and movie fanatics from the heartland to get on a plane and come to Hollywood. The stars are out walking the streets with none of their entourage to protect them. Of course, it means you'll have to listen to Sally Field droning on about how Hollywood is America's No. 2 "import" or whatever she was saying from the picket line the other day...

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At least we can be thankful: That all those stupid "Bee movie" promos have ended on NBC. I know NBC owes Jerry Seinfeld a lot but, oy. They were awful. On the other hand, Jerry Seinfeld on Larry King was fabulous television. Seinfeld almost contained his total disdain for Larry. Larry as usual was oblivious.

Lisa de Moraes: Yes it was craptastic TV, though I'm not sure Seinfeld did himself any favors. He didn't even come close to almost containing his disdain for King, and though I'm not Larry King fan -- except for train wreck value like when he's interviewing Paris Hilton -- I thought Seinfeld came across like a smug little jerk. Surely he wasn't surprised King isn't well prepped for these interviews, so why did he smash him for not knowing Seinfeld's NBC series was the No. 1 finale, watched by 75 million people, blah, blah, blah! And when Seinfeld started reciting all those stats, all these many years later, it made him look like a sad middle-aged man stuck in his past -- kinda Milton Berle-ish, if you ask me...

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TV Strike question: I love TV, but I'm not sure I'm on the side of the writers. It's just TV -- it's not like they're curing cancer. Are they really being treated unfairly? I admit I don't know all the details.

Lisa de Moraes: It's not just TV -- it's film too. It only seems like it's just TV because TV is the first genre to be affected. The big sticking point in the contract negotiations. The writers say the studios want to pay them zero in residuals when, say, a TV episode they wrote is played at full length on, say, the ABC Web site -- with ads no less. The studios that produce the shows -- and own the networks -- insist that part of the industry is "too new" and no one's making any money off Internet plays of Hollywood programming. so they don't want to commit to paying a residual at this time. That's extremely oversimplified, but you get the drift...

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Poolesville, Md.: Are Survivor contestants psychologically screened so that a certain amount of mentally unbalanced people are allowed on the show for entertainment value?

Lisa de Moraes: Isn't it a given that anyone who wants to go on a reality TV show -- except maybe something like the old "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" which was for "Jeopardy!"-esque types -- is mentally unbalanced? I've always worked with that assumption, and it's served me well...

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Washington: Lisa -- will the writer's strike have any effect on professional wrestling?

washingtonpost.com: WWE could benefit if writers strike (Chicago Sun-Times, Nov. 4)

Lisa de Moraes: WWE wrestling, although scripted, does not employ WGA writers. Nor do reality series like "American Idol" etc. ... yes, Ryan Seacrest's comments are scripted...

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NBC -- Curry: Um, geez, it's not that easy to get to the South Pole. There are a limited number of flights back and forth. NBC has no say on when she gets to come back. Too bad they didn't pull this stunt in March (I know -- no sweeps). Then maybe she'd miss one of the last flights back before the winter over and she'd be gone until September!

Lisa de Moraes: What's that old gag?: Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these -- "it might have been"...

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Strike backfire: What the strike is doing for me is that I'm now remembering the year I lived without a TV set and how much I read, went outside and got stuff done around the house.

Lisa de Moraes: You are not alone ... some viewers who are going away never will come back. This is a very different environment than in the late '80s, when the writers last struck. It will be interesting to see exactly how different as this unfolds...

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Yes, Ryan Seacrest's comments are scripted...: So is some of the witty banter on news shows.

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, I know, shocking but true...

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Are Survivor contestants psychologically screened so that a certain amount of mentally unbalanced people are allowed on the show for entertainment value?: Yes. But "The Bachelor" fails to screen for rapists.

washingtonpost.com: 'Bachelor' candidate accused of rape (UPI, Nov. 6)

Lisa de Moraes: According to everything I've heard, ABC considered him as a candidate to be on one of the editions of "The Bachelor" based on his having been named one of People magazine's "Most Eligible Bachelors" in 2003. Shame on the publishers of People. But I do not know what happened during ABC's vetting process...

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Washington: Lisa, did you catch Tyra's vulva project special? Riveting TV. Please tell me that TV of this quality and importance somehow will survive the writer's strike!

Lisa de Moraes: Oh yes -- non WGA scripted...

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Washington: Feeling groggy this morning because I watched the "CSI"/"Without a Trace" Crossover. Although it was kind of interesting, I think there is something intrinsically cheesy about such crossovers. The only one I really thought worked well involved "The Flintstones" and "The Jetsons."

washingtonpost.com: Watch the Entire Jetsons/Flintstones Crossover (AOL)

Lisa de Moraes: Cheesy -- and yet people will come to the episode specifically because of the crossover-ness. Of course CBS is hoping the "CSI" audience, which is huge, will watch and sample the "Without a Trace" bits and become a regular watcher of that show. It appears to have worked. "Trace" clocked 21.4 million viewers last night, to "CSI's" 22 million. That's got to be "Trace's" best retention of the "CSI" audience this season by a long shot...

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At least we can be thankful: That all those stupid "Bee movie" promos have ended on NBC: On Thanksgiving Day when I'm forced by my family before the meal to list three things I'm thankful for, I'm going to use this one! Thanks!

Lisa de Moraes: Pookie, all America is thankful for that. I think some of us actually got down on our knees and shouted "hallelujah!"

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Alexandria, Va.: Lisa, 'splain something to me. Why would "Two and a Half Men" go off the air because of a writers' strike? Why do they need writers? Are writers necessary for Charlie Sheen to play himself and for them to recycle every plot from every bad sitcom of the past 20 years? Or are writers the only ones in Hollywood who know how to copy-and-paste?

Lisa de Moraes: Now, see -- I'm a big fan of that show. Substitute "Cavemen" and I'm on board...

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Anonymous: Lisa, it seems to me that the writers' strike might actually be part of some larger, yet-to-be titled reality series in the making.

Lisa de Moraes: I'm guessing that when Tina Fey was picketing at 30 Rock, someone was taking footage and before she had to go pencil down she'd finished up an episode of, um, "30 Rock" in which they go on strike ... just a guess....

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Washington: Don't be too harsh on Rosie. after all she did visit Martha in the "clink" ... and seemed happy to remind viewers of this when she made a guest appearance on Martha's show.

Lisa de Moraes: Why oh why weren't there cameras on that visit?

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America Votes, Wrong: Sabrina goes home on "Dancing With the Stars"? She was the biggest talent, and we thought she had a built-in tween vote. What's up with that? Marie should have gone home this week, then Jane next week. Then the final four talents would have competed.

Lisa de Moraes: It's inexplicable. We all know that to some extent this is a popularity contest -- ya think? -- and maybe "Dancing's" older audience did not appreciate exactly who Sabrina was ... honestly, I'm making this up as I go along, because I too am baffled...

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Speaking of the South Pole: I love the signs the scientists held up for the Today show crews. My fav was "I heart Rocks" which hopefully was held up by a geologist. In our efforts to expand the green theme, I think some polar bears should secret themselves in Ann Curry's plane and take revenge on our emission producing ways by mauling the cast of "Grey's Anatomy." In the process, they would receive the Peace Prize for reducing the levels of smug emitted by McDreamy, McSteamy and McMeredith.

Lisa de Moraes: I heart you! Only, sadly, polar bears stowing away on Ann Curry's plane never would get near the "Grey's Anatomy" set to do the promised mauling, because it's an ABC show and Curry's on NBC. If they mauled the host and judges of "Phenomenon" would you be satisfied? I know I would...

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Richmond, Va.: Pookie, showing my age, but didn't the party scenes on last night's "30 Rock" remind you of the party in "Midnight Cowboy" (although "30 Rock" was a little wilder and more disgusting)?

Lisa de Moraes: LOL ... and it doesn't show your age, it just shows you're a movie fanatic. Did you see how TCM is trotting out some tatted, pierced, twentysomething old-movie flick in a promo, by way of shouting "No, We are Not an Old-Folks Network!"

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Arlington, Va.: What's weird with the weird sexual tension between Justin and Rebecca on "Brothers and Sisters"? I know they are dating in real life, but they are supposed to be brother and sister!

Lisa de Moraes: Ick, ick ick! I guess it just means they're not very good actors...

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"The Flintstones": Am I the only one who thinks it was based on "The Honeymooners"? Fred = Jackie Gleason, Barney = Norton, etc. I said this to a friend recently and he thought it was brilliant, but I assumed everyone thought that. I doubt I made that up.

washingtonpost.com: Wasn't The Flintstones based on The Honeymooners? (Flintstones FAQ)

Lisa de Moraes: Sorry, but no, you are not the only one. On the other hand, it puts you in good company...

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Marie should have gone home this week: Nah, they're hoping she faints again. Good TV.

Lisa de Moraes: Well, there is that...

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Washington: Pookie, there are no polar bears in Antarctica! They live in the Arctic.

Lisa de Moraes: You mean, there will be no mauling of the "Phenomenon" host and judges? Waaaaaah!

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Crossovers: I'm waiting for a "CSI"/"Meerkats" crossover, where they try to figure out who killed Mozart.

Lisa de Moraes: I hate thinking about it. I know, circle of life, blah, blah, blah, but I can't take it when my favorite TV actors die.

I have to leave a little early today. Bye!

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