Can it be.....Writer's Strike OVER?

I have been on edge for the past few months and for good reason. As many of you know the Writers Guild of America has been on "strike" since November 5th 2008, virtually shutting down all TV and feature productions overnight. For me this strike was extra nerve-racking because picketing began on the VERY same day I started my new job as a Production Coordinator at Universal Media Studios. So you can see why I thought coming into this job that I could very well be out of work in just a matter of months. That idea was awful knowing that it took a considerable amount of time and effort to finally get the Production gig.

So in defiance of the strike, that possibly meant the utter demise of my new career, I decided to grow my facial hair to symbolize my struggle to survive. I compare it to Tom Hank's same struggle in the film Cast Away. We are both stuck in a situation that we didn't choose, but are forced to survive. No, I didn't find myself talking to blood-stained volleyballs, and I did keep the sides of my man-mane trimmed (for shallow narcissistic reasons), but I was driven to similar extremes a la the strike. The killer was not knowing how long the studio would go until starting to lay people off. But now, the end of the strike is finally in sight, like a passing oil barge for Tom Hanks, and it's time to think about losing the face fuzz.

Although its not officially 100% over, rumors of the strikes end have been all over the news in recent days. Today, the membership of the Writers Guild of America is expected to vote (Tuesday) to end the strike. But nothing is guaranteed. Apparently an organizer for the WGA-West told the Daily Variety that the tables, canopies and thousands of red-and-black picket signs have not been put away yet. But on the brighter side, several showrunners started working on Monday and ABC renewed nine series for the fall (yes, including Lost). As far as my beloved NBC goes, Daily Variety says the peacock is expected to bring back "most of its Thursday laffers," namely "My Name is Earl," "The Office," "and "30 Rock." All good signs that these horrid three months could be well over.

With all these encouraging rumors (and some pressure from an uncountable number of females) I will officially be removing the beard in a matter of hours. That's right, the time has come, to say farewell. And lets hope for the good of my cause and the entertainment business that the WGA follows through and finally puts this strike to bed.