Carson back from the dead ... no, THIS Carson

This just in: The NBC late night program "LaterLast Call with Carson Daly" is going to defy the strike and go back into production next week without writers.

Yes, I know what you're thinking. Well, actually I've got it narrowed down to three choices. You're either thinking:

(a) "NBC has a late night program hosted by Carson Daly?"
(b) "'Last Call with Carson Daly' has writers?"
... or ...
(c) "Who cares?"

For those who haven't been watching it lately, NBC has added a band and written "comedy" to the half-hour talk show hosted by the onetime MTV personality. It's a pretty transparent attempt to groom Daly for the job currently held by Conan O'Brien, one hour earlier on NBC. And from what I have seen, it is an abject failure. Apparently the executives at NBC agree, since they seem to be willing to let Daly (who doesn't hold a writers' guild card -- big surprise, eh?) go back to work sans scribes, perhaps on the hunch that viewers won't notice.

While in general I'm opposed to any network move that would put current TV writers out of work, "Last Call" is to be the exception that proves the rule.