Strike enters countdown mode

WGA members to vote in Los Angeles, N.Y.

By CYNTHIA LITTLETON

The final step to ending the WGA strike is now minutes away.

The counting has begun. The polls have closed at the WGA Theater in Beverly Hills and a group of about 10 guild staffers are sitting around a long table counting the paper ballots cast on whether to end the 14 week writers strike.

WGA reps said the turnout was very strong at the West Coast polling spot, with a long line forming outside the theater even before the voting formally began at 2 pm. The voting by fax has also been heavy ever since the 48-hour voting period began on Monday. Among the notables spotted casting ballots at the Doheny Drive theater today was multihyphenate Tracey Ullman.

WGA West president Patric Verrone is set to comment on the results at about 7 p.m.

The WGA's also planning to mail out ratification ballots to members in the next few days with a 10-day return period to officially endorse the new three-year deal.

TV's getting back into gear as showrunners began working Monday and ABC renewed nine series for the fall.

The end of the strike has also meant that the Feb. 24 Oscarcast can proceed along its usual lines, though without quite as much planning time as in previous years. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is expected to make an official announcement about details of the show by the end of the week.

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