Celebs join Hollywood writers on picket lines

updated 6:34 p.m. ET Nov. 5, 2007

Jay Leno rolled up to a picket line on his motorcycle with doughnuts for striking writers at NBC.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus marched with pickets at Warner Bros. in the shadow of a giant billboard advertising her CBS show, “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”

Even Democratic presidential candidates weighed in Monday, as writers got a little help from their famous friends during the first day of their strike against movie studios and TV networks.

Barack Obama said he stands with the writers and urged producers to work with them to end the strike.

Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a contract that recognizes the contributions writers make to the entertainment industry.

Each candidate has received more than $2 million in campaign contributions from the entertainment industry.

Charley Gallay / Getty Images Julia Louis-Dreyfus, left, and Wanda Sykes protest in support of striking Hollywood writers outside of the Warner Brothers studio in Burbank, Calif.

In Burbank, Louis-Dreyfus wore a cap, sunglasses and Screen Actors Guild T-shirt as she joined strikers chanting, “Hey, hey, pencils down. Hollywood’s a union town.”

“How this is resolved will directly affect our union, too,” she said, referring to the actors union contract that expires next year.

In New York, Tina Fey of “30 Rock” joined strikers outside Rockefeller Center, the headquarters of NBC.

Ellen DeGeneres wasn’t spotted on the picket lines, but her publicist Kelly Bush said she took the day off in support of the writers on her daytime talk show.

Noise and other disruptions caused by a picket line interfered with filming at a location being used for the CBS show “Cane.”

Shows impacted by strike Networks said the following shows will immediately go into reruns because of the writers strike: — NBC: “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Last Call with Carson Daly.” — CBS: “Late Show with David Letterman” and “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” — Comedy Central: “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “Colbert Report.” Networks and publicists cited these other impacts: — “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will air new episodes on Monday and Tuesday that were filmed before the strike. — ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” will air as usual Monday and Tuesday. — CBS soap operas such as “The Young and the Restless,” “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns” will continue uninterrupted for several months with completed scripts. — ABC’s “The View” talk show will continue uninterrupted because of contingency plans made before the strike. — ABC soaps, including “All My Children,” “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital,” have been written into the new year and will not be interrupted. — “The Oprah Winfrey Show” doesn’t employ union writers and will continue uninterrupted.

About 20 writers chanted, screamed and used a bullhorn outside a cafe near the CBS lot in Studio City, causing the production to move back onto the nearby CBS lot.

Tom Hogan, a location manager for the show, said filming began hours before the pickets arrived and involved a script that was finished several weeks ago.

“But you know what? I support them,” said Hogan, a member of Teamsters Local 399, which represents truck drivers, casting directors and location managers.

Strikers near Universal Studios marched across a freeway bridge and waved signs at passing motorists.

Outside the landmark gate of Paramount Pictures on Melrose Avenue, drivers honked their horns in solidarity with strikers.

Despite the support, the financial reality of a work stoppage loomed large for many striking writers.

Michelle Mulroney, 40, and her husband both write feature films.

“I’m fortunate. I can strike for a while,” she said. “But most people I know will feel the crunch today.”

Zoe Green, 26, certainly will. She sold her first pilot, but the strike is preventing her from writing the script.

“It’s the worst thing ever,” she said. “I’m going to be struggling on $6,000 until this ends.”

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