Your favorite TV programs aren’t the only ones affected by the Writer’s Guild strike. Sure, somewhere down the line you’ll be feeling the hurt of 30 Rock reruns (Tina Fey was among those picketing outside Rockefeller Center yesterday), but every night this week, musical acts are getting dumped from late-night TV shows as new episodes get yanked off the air and go into reruns. Backstreet Boys, Band of Horses, Garth Brooks and Joss Stone have felt the hurt, as have Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear, who were supposed to perform tonight on Late Night with Conan O’Brien to promote their new EP Friend. As the band groused in a MySpace bulletin, “well,… it happened. CONAN OFFICIALLY CANCELED… thanks to the writer’s strike. oh well. hopefully we’ll get another date. We were really looking forward to it!” So were we, Grizz.
While well-known acts were certainly bummed to be bumped, cancellations truly hurt up-and-comers looking for wide exposure, like Matt Nathanson. One week after Nathanson excitedly posted on his MySpace blog “Matt on Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” he mournfully retracted the news. Still, Nathanson says he understands and supports the Guild’s decision to strike, and Kimmel producers guarantee him a rescheduling. For many acts, however, touring conflicts and other commitments prevent rescheduling in the near future. We’ll keep an eye on the strike situation until it’s resolved — but for now, get your TV fix with our video gallery of The Daily Show’s 25 Greatest Rock & Roll Moments.


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