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Entertainment Weekly reports: "Talks between the striking Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers resume today after breaking last Thursday. Since then, each side has circulated statements indicating that there remain considerable differences between them."

Washington, D.C. - infoZine - Head writer for "The Daily Show," Steve Bodow's oped "Why I went from punch lines to the picket line" was published by the Daily News: "The execs have argued time and again that television content appearing online is strictly promotional, and under Guild rules, they don't have to pay for promotional uses of our work.

"So I checked this out ... and it was true! I watched last week's episode of 'The Office' over at NBC.com, and it was promotional. It was promoting BlackBerrys and Fidelity Investments and Clorox bleach. Nice of NBC to give those ads away for free ...

"What's that? NBC got paid for those ads? Just like if they ran on TV? It's the same over on the very fine new Web site for 'The Daily Show,' by the way: unlimited clips, sponsored in part by -- get this -- TiVo. I assume that's some ad-sales guy's idea of irony."

Bodow and other New York City-based late-night, and other, writers are picketing Rupert Murdoch's News Corp on Tuesday and NBC on Wednesday.

The Web page for the Writers Guild of America, East is: wgaeast.org; a blog for the writers is at: unitedhollywood.com; a YouTube video "Not The Daily Show" featuring another "Daily Show" writer is at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRHlpEmr0w .

Co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Dean Bakerwrote the paper "The Artistic Freedom Voucher: Internet Age Alternative to Copyrights," which outlines a system that "would allow each individual to contribute a refundable tax credit of approximately $100 to a creative worker of their choice" as an alternative to copyright.

He said: "The writers' strike stems directly from the difficulty of trying to adapt copyright, a relic of the feudal system, to the 21st century economy. The entertainment industry relies on the fees it collects from restricting the free flow of creative material through copyright protection. These restrictions, and the industry's effort to garner the fees for itself, harm both the public and creative workers. It would be far more efficient to develop a system that pays creative workers up front, like a publicly funded Artistic Freedom Voucher system, and then lets their material circulate freely across the Internet." www.cepr.net/content/view/161

Professor of political science at William Paterson University, Stephenauthor of the essay "In Search of Economic Justice" and is part of the participatory economics group at Zmag.org. He said: "Is there an alternative to an economy based on greed and competition? In fact, analysts and activists have put forward a vision and a rather detailed model of how an alternative economy -- one based on democracy and equitable cooperation -- might operate." www.zmag.org/parecon/indexnew.htm

Nelson Lichtenstei., Louise Walsh had already been to two stores when she spotted the telltale brown UPS truck pulling up to the Gamestop on East Colonial Drive.

Walsh held the door for the driver as he wheeled a dolly full of cardboard boxes inside. She and another hopeful customer waited anxiously to see whether the shipment carried the elusive Nintendo Wii video-game system.

It was bad news.

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Playing Nintendo's Wii Video
Improve your odds
If you really want a Wii, you'll have to have patience and time -- and be willing to drive around.

*Make friends with store employees. Ask them when their shipments arrive each day, and show up at that time. This will work better at smaller chains such as Gamestop.

*Use the Internet. Check out Web sites such as wiitracker.com and fatwallet.com for the latest on Wii availability. Fatwallet and Salescircular.com post some of the Sunday circular ads a few days early, so if you are willing to get up early and wait in line, check out the ads and plan your strategy before Sunday. You can also use wiialerts.com to get e-mail or cell-phone text-message alerts when Wiis become available online.

*Consider a bundle. Many retailers such as Sam's Club and Wal-Mart are selling the Wii as part of a bundle that includes games and other accessories. Bundles typically are the same price as if you were buying all of the items individually. If you do a get a bundle, consider opening it and giving the items inside as separate gifts.

*Expand your search. You might have better luck going to a store in a less-populated area such as Polk or Lake counties.
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"No Wiis," the manager said Monday after examining the shipment. "Sorry, folks."

More than a year after Nintendo unleashed its revolutionary game system, the Wii is still almost impossible to find in Central Florida and throughout the country.

Local electronics-store managers say they get more calls each day asking for the Wii than anything else. When they do have some in stock, the game systems are gone in an instant -- often before they're even put on the shelf.

On Sunday mornings, lines outside big-boxes stores rival those on Black Friday, with dozens of people lining up before dawn to see whether they can snag one of the systems advertised in the weekly circulars.

The most persistent shoppers have figured out when stores get their shipments and are stalking the United Parcel Service drivers.

"They can be had, but they are not easy to find," said Van Baker, an analyst with the technology-research firm Gartner. "You are not going to find them in the first retail outlet you go to, but if you are determined and you continue to look, then you are going to find one."

Many resellers are offering the $250 game system online for three or four times the retail price, and one user, who claims to be a mother who needs to pay medical bills, has listed the system for $100,000.

Despite conspiracy theories, Nintendo insists it is producing the systems as fast as possible and isn't holding back to artificially manufacture hype and demand. The company planned to stockpile Wiis for the holiday season when demand slowed, possibly during the summer. But that didn't happen, and despite bumping up production from 1 million to 1.8 million units a month worldwide, Nintendo can't keep up.

"The demand continues to exceed our expectations, and it hasn't slowed down at all," said Kelli Koenig Horner, a spokeswoman for Nintendo of America. "We are at capacity in terms of production."

Over Thanksgiving, the Wii had its best week since launch, with 350,000 units sold in the United States.

Walsh wasn't deterred after leaving Gamestop empty-handed Monday. She loves the thrill of the hunt.

It's the second year in a row that Walsh, 49, a stay-at-home mom from Orlando, has trolled Central Florida looking for a Wii. She snagged one last year for her kids -- who didn't even ask for the Wii -- because she happened to be at a video-game store in Fashion Square Mall about an hour and a half before a shipment arrived. This year, she is helping a friend who wants a Wii for her child.

"It's kind of fun to try and find one," Walsh said. "The people in the stores have all been nice, and you kind of see the same people trolling the same places."

Guy Roman, 53, of Orlando was waiting with Walsh at the Gamestop on East Colonial on Monday and said he plans to continue visiting and calling local stores every day until he finds one.

"I thought I'd come down here instead of calling because in the time it takes to make a phone call, they could be all gone," said Roman, a stay-at-home dad. "Now that Christmas is getting closer, if we get one, that would be great, but if we don't, Santa might have to write a letter telling you that we're out of Wiis, but we'll get you one as soon as they come in."

One reason demand is still so high this holiday season is that many people have tried the system at a friend's house or seen positive reviews. What makes the Wii unique is that players don't sit on the couch when they play. They use a motion-sensing device that is controlled with lifelike motion, such as swinging a tennis racket or throwing a bowling ball.

"It was like going on a treasure hunt where you really get a treasure at the end. We went to 12 different places before we finally found one," said Karen Flood, 26, of Orlando.

Flood and her husband, Matt, 25, bought themselves a Wii for Christmas in October.

Store officials say there's no rhyme or reason to when they get shipments of the console.

Brandy Turner, general manager of Best Buy on East Colonial Drive, said although her store will sometimes hold some units until Sunday to make sure it has the guaranteed amount listed in the weekly ad, a shipment can arrive at any time.

Walsh hit payday Tuesday at Gamestop on East Michigan Street. Roman went to the dentist and missed out.

"I had a 10 a.m. appointment, so I just missed it," he said. "But I still got a couple more weeks. I'm going to keep trying."

day the ad hits.

"Big-box retailers are taking advantage of the shortage to entice customers to their stores," says David Abrams, who runs the videogame deals site Cheap Ass Gamer. "If they expect to have Wii in stock, they will mention it in their weekly ads."

"Sometimes, stores will hand out tickets before the doors actually open," he says. These should be the first stores you visit, since you will find out before they open for business whether or not you'll get a Wii. And then, taking after the iPhone lady, you can always buy out someone's place in line if you're too late.

The trick is to get your hands on the ads before Sunday morning, so you know where to line up. Abrams says users of his site post ads in the forums, so that might be an excellent place to start.

Get to Know Your Friendly Neighborhood Wiitailer

Nintendo senior vice president George Harrison tells would-be Wii buyers to be persistent. "Figure out when the shipments are arriving in the store," he says.

It's good advice. Talk to the guys behind the registers at your local retailers, and find out when they get Wii shipments. Even if they end up holding some for Sunday, chances are they'll put out at least some of their stock the minute it arrives.

Abrams says that big-box stores get more Wiis per store than gaming specialty retailers like GameStop. So go to Wal-Mart before you go to the mall.

Don't Bother With Web Retailers

The internet might help you track down Sunday ads, but don't expect to get a Wii by stalking online retailers. While web shops are getting some consoles, a horde of people -- glued to their
day the ad hits.

"Big-box retailers are taking advantage of the shortage to entice customers to their stores," says David Abrams, who runs the videogame deals site Cheap Ass Gamer. "If they expect to have Wii in stock, they will mention it in their weekly ads."

"Sometimes, stores will hand out tickets before the doors actually open," he says. These should be the first stores you visit, since you will find out before they open for business whether or not you'll get a Wii. And then, taking after the iPhone lady, you can always buy out someone's place in line if you're too late.

The trick is to get your hands on the ads before Sunday morning, so you know where to line up. Abrams says users of his site post ads in the forums, so that might be an excellent place to start.

Get to Know Your Friendly Neighborhood Wiitailer

Nintendo senior vice president George Harrison tells would-be Wii buyers to be persistent. "Figure out when the shipments are arriving in the store," he says.

It's good advice. Talk to the guys behind the registers at your local retailers, and find out when they get Wii shipments. Even if they end up holding some for Sunday, chances are they'll put out at least some of their stock the minute it arrives.

Abrams says that big-box stores get more Wiis per store than gaming specialty retailers like GameStop. So go to Wal-Mart before you go to the mall.

Don't Bother With Web Retailers

The internet might help you track down Sunday ads, but don't expect to get a Wii by stalking online retailers. While web shops are getting some consoles, a horde of people -- glued to their
rofessor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he directs the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy. He is the author of "State of the Union: A Century of American Labor," and "Wal-Mart: The Face of Twenty-First-Century Capitalism."

Lichtenstein said: "For years the conventional wisdom has assured us that in the U.S.'s creative new knowledge economy, strikes, unions and labor-management conflict were utterly passe, perhaps a remnant of the old rust-belt, but certainly out of place in the hip world of new media and iPod downloads. But here we are in the second month of a strike by 12,000 TV and film writers, some of the coolest, most imaginative, and certainly post-industrial 'workers' in our technologically innovative economy. If such conflicts can take place in Hollywood