In case you didn't know.

There's a television and film writers strike. I was reminded of that this week when TV hosts Steven Colbert, Conan O'Brien, and Jon Stewart staged a mock feud. It seems that, without writers, they had to pump up some fake gag dispute. I haven't been watching Mr. O'Brien much, but I can assure you that Mr. Stewart's Daily Show and The Colbert Report have been pretty weak without their regular bunch of writers.

So the three hosts staged a dispute about who had given whom their start on the road to success. It ended in fake fisticuffs and, frankly, it was painful to watch. I was never thrilled when Mr. Colbert went to his own show. Yes, he's brilliantly funny, but on the Daily show, he and the writers only had to come up with about ten minutes of material per week. It didn't really improve his comedy to start doing 90 minutes per week. Now he's filling 90 minutes without writers and Mr. Stewart is filling 90 minutes a week without writers or correspondents. And while they have declined in quality, their shows are still better than a lot of what's out there. It's a bit sad.

And I really miss Samantha Bee's work. First, maternity leave, then the writers strike. Still, she took infants hostage tonight in a brief cameo. That cheered me up! Of course, who doesn't enjoy stolen babies?

CDs listened to today:

• Luciano Berio: Notturno
• The Cure: Staring At The Sea
• William Schuman: Symphony No. 10 (Gerard Schwarz conducting)
• Frederic Chopin: Nocturnes, disk 2
• Green Day: American Idiot
• Remy Shand: The Way I Feel
• Sofia Gubaidulina: Offertorium
• L7: Bricks Are Heavy
• Ingram Marshall: Hymnodic Delays