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US scriptwriters consider deal to end their three-month strike

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10 FEBRUARY 2008

It looks as if it'll be business as normal in Hollywood very soon. Striking scriptwriters have reached a "tentative deal" with film and TV studios which could see them back to work tomorrow.

The return will mean the Oscars, Hollywood's most prestigious award ceremony, can go ahead as planned at the end of this month.

Members of the Writers Guild Of America met in New York and Los Angeles yesterday to discuss the proposed terms hammered out with studio bosses. Union president Michael Winship revealed he felt the deal had "a strong chance of going through".

Hollywood's scriptwriters have been on strike for three months after disagreement over payment for work that appears on the internet. The action has brought 65 top series, including 24, Ugly Betty and Lost, to a halt. Last month's glitzy Golden Globe awards ceremony was also cancelled.

Celebrities including Robin Williams, David Duchovny, Ben Stiller and the glamorous cast of Desperate Housewives have turned out on the picket line. The strikers also received musical support from singers KT Tunstall and Alicia Keys, who brought along their microphones to perform to the scriptwriters.