Fyodor's guide to surviving the Hollyweird writers' strike.

You hadn't heard? Well, apparently it is a big deal in certain precincts, smartypants.

Sharewatch: Picketing under way in TV writers strike

The first walkout by Hollywood writers in nearly 20 years got under way Monday with noisy pickets outside the "Today" show -- a strike that threatens to disrupt everything from late-night talk shows to soap operas.

Eek!

A giant, inflated rat was put on display Monday as about 40 people in Rockefeller Center shouted, "No contract, no shows!" "The seven-word mantra is, `When you get paid, we get paid,'" said Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America East.

Behold the cleverness America shall be denied until this tragic situation is resolved! Who is not entertained by giant inflatable rats?

The strike is the first walkout by writers since 1988. That work stoppage lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry more than $500 million.

The "Today" show is not directly affected by the strike because news writers are part of a different union. [So why did they go...? Oh, I get it. - F.G.] The picket was set up behind police barricades in an area adjacent to the NBC studios, where shows like "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" might be forced to play re-runs.

Writers' demands for a bigger slice of DVD profits and revenue from the distribution of films and TV shows over the Internet has been a key issue.

"They claim that the new media is still too new to structure a model for compensation," said Jose Arroyo, a writer for "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." "We say give us a percentage so if they make money, we make money," said Arroyo.

NO JUSTICE, NO MINDLESS BLATHER!