What's going on Ya, what's going on

My friends, comrades, and fellow well-informed audience who, in the midst of a coup d'etat in the United States, would only care about Meredith and Derek's or Jim and Pam's relationships: this little writer's strike is the television equivalent of the apocalypse.

Scrubs might not have a proper series finale. The late night shows are on reruns already. (Stephen Colbert is taking this free time to campaign in the United Kingdom in an effort to replace Gordon Brown). Current sitcoms like The Office and Desperate Housewives are on thin ice, with only a handful of shows ready to air.

Here's the lowdown (you heard it here first, that is, after you googled it and read several stories about it already): Writers are not getting proper compensation from tv's "new media" - the internet and phones and such.

Several hundred thousand more people could watch an episode of The Office online, with a bevy of advertisements, and that not reflect in television ratings. Therefore, the writer's salary is not a true representation of the success of the show.

In fact, some writers are winning Emmy's for webisodes and not getting a single penny from the profits.

24 won't even have a season this year, audiences complain. Heroes might be canceled because it didn't rebound in ratings prior to the strike. "Such a shame!" is heard from all corners of the country. And the list goes on.

When I see complaint groups on Facebook such as "Picket against the strike", I can't help but get a little smile inside.

People are so incredibly dependent on a box (or a flat screen) that flashes pictures and plays noise. At least psychiatrists will be busy diagnosing people with withdrawal syndrome.

A little lesson can be learned from Family Guy. In one episode, Peter realizes "TV keeps us all from enjoying fulfilling pursuits." He decides to give up his horrible television watching habits.

While he might take it to the extreme ("Come on everyone, we're late for the Bavarian Folk Festival. You know those Germans, if you don't join their party they'll come get ya!"), he did see the problem in such an addiction.

This writer's strike will dump us with at least 22 weeks of trash. Reruns and reality, to be exact. I can only take so much America's Top Model, you know?

Instead of wasting time with this junk, I say do something productive. Like study for tomorrow's test or something.

I really don't care if, how and when the strike will end. Sure, I'll miss my Office and 24 a little bit. But not that much. I know I'll get more done if I'm not watching television. Will you?