Housewives targeted by writers

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Striking writers have converged on the Los Angeles set of Desperate Housewives as their industrial action continues to hit US film and TV productions.

Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus was among the demonstrators as picketing writers attempted to disrupt location filming in the Toluca Lake suburb.

During a break in shooting, actress Eva Longoria handed out pizzas to strikers.

The strike by the 12,000-strong Writers Guild of America (WGA) was prompted by a disagreement over royalty payments.

"It's in the best interest of the entertainment community to begin a meaningful dialogue as soon as possible," Longoria told reporters.

'No monologue'

Her show is scheduled to finish shooting its latest episode - based on a script finished before the strike began - on Wednesday.

Production on at least six TV sitcoms has been halted because of the strike, the Associated Press reports.

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus held a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) placardCast members of the US version of The Office did not show up for work on Tuesday, while the stars of medical drama ER came out to back strikers at the Warner Bros studios.

"We're all in this together, so we wanted to come out and support our team," said actor John Stamos.

Other shows have not been immediately affected, though comedian Ellen DeGeneres began a recording of her talk show on Tuesday with a pledge of support.

"I want to say I love my writers," she told her studio audience. "In honour of them today, I'm not going to do a monologue."

In New York, staff members on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno were told their jobs would be under threat if the strike continues.

Leno's programme and The Late Show with David Letterman are both airing re-runs after their scriptwriters walked off the job.

Last-ditch talks

The writers' union is seeking extra payments for their work when it is re-used on other platforms such as DVDs, the internet and mobile phones.

Last-ditch talks failed to resolve the dispute - the first since 1988, when industrial action lasted 22 weeks.

Studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts in the hope they can ride out the strike.

Interior filming of the Desperate Housewives episode took place on Tuesday as scheduled, though the noise outside may require portions of dialogue to be re-recorded.

Picketers used the show as an inspiration for their chants, which included the refrain "We write the story-a for Eva Longoria".