So much for settling the strike by Christmas. On Friday, the producers’ side walked out of the negotiations as the writers dug in their heels over the Writers’ Guild demand, which they until recently had not been stressing, that it get to represent reality-TV and animation staffers.

Seeing as how the usual purposes of a negotiation are …

How happy it is that, after its post-Family Edition lull, The Amazing Race–the only situation in the world where it’s a bad thing to get inadvertently bumped up from coach to business class–is worth watching again. I won’t spoil last night’s episode, but read the comments at your own risk. All I know is that I suddenly, badly want to …

HBO photo: John P. Johnson

If the blog is reading particularly lame lately, my excuse of the week is that I’ve been buried in end-of-the-year projects, including, but not limited to, the year-end 10-best lists that we post every year on time.com. And this year, there are going to be more than ever! Lists upon lists upon lists! It’s …

You may have already seen the Speechless Hollywood series of videos, produced in support of the writers’ strike, in which celebrity actors demonstrate the dangers of working without a script:

The message: Actors are nothing without the words that writers put in their mouths. The meta-message: You will look at anything if it has a …

Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS

Because of a TV backlog and life in general, Survivor: China is still sitting in my TiVo queue. What kind of idiot invites people to spoil a show he hasn’t watched for him on his own blog? This kind! Share your thoughts, on this or any other of last night’s rerun-heavy December TV, in the comments. I’ll be reading …

Bravo Photo: Trae Patton

If you’re a fan of Bravo’s Project Runway and Top Chef, then you are possibly a fan, but not nearly quite as big a fan, of Top Design and Shear Genius, the home-decor and hair-styling counterparts of those reality shows. If so, then there’s slightly good news for you today! From the network:

Bravo,

…

I should let Swampland handle the political analysis of Mitt Romney’s religion speech, but I suppose my rant yesterday obligates me to follow up.

I should disclose that Romney was not speaking to me, as a nonreligious American: he made that pretty clear with “Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom.” (Joe Klein …

Today in writers’ strike news:

* The upside of the strike is that it has freed up Hollywood talent to devote some quality time to their passion projects. Like going to jail. Kiefer Sutherland gets 24 days, times two, for a DUI infraction and probation violation.

* I get the same press releases as the Washington Post’s Lisa DeMoraes, …

Robert Voets/CBS

One of the delights of Kid Nation is how it makes you swing between corny, parental pride in Bonanza City’s residents and abject horror for the future of our nation. You had the moment when the town council came over the ridge and saw the Native American encampment: “Hey guys, look! Looks like an igloo!” But then you …