TVSquad

When I first read the headline about Arianna Huffington getting into the TV comedy business, I had visions of her as Maude or something equally as bizarre.

Fortunately, it was just my skewed sense of humor at work, because Arianna Huffington, the political talking head and co-creator of The Huffington Post, is not starring in a sitcom. ABC has bought Huffington's idea for a multicamera sitcom. And just to make sure it's funny, they've hired executive producer Greg Malins (Friends, How I Met Your Mother) to develop the project.

20th Century Fox TV is producing the show for ABC and, yes, it is about politics. See, there are these three freshman members of the House of Representatives, two men and a woman (but no pizza place). They share an apartment in the D.C. area. "One is swept up in the movement of change... one has been in politics for a long time, and one is a master of the media and sound bites," said Malins.

... nine Writers' Strike supporting sites.

Sure, the WGA strike sucks. But it doesn't just suck for us, the TV viewers (or reviewers, as the case may be here at TV Squad). It sucks for a lot of people with families to support. But I don't want to be a total downer. If you have been following the strike, then you probably already know there are a lot of great resources out there. But if you haven't been reading closely, you may find these nine sites worth clicking to for more information (and, in many cases, entertainment).

A few days ago I wrote about Rachel Sklar's Saturday Night Live piece in The Village Voice. Being that she had full access to the cast members as well as to executive producer Lorne Michaels, she gathered plenty of information, much of it not included in her Village Voice article.

So, rather than tossing it in the trash, Sklar took those remnants and posted them at The Huffington Post, where she is editor as well as contributor. There's some pretty good stuff here. For example, Michaels says 40 to 50 sketches are read and written during the normal show week, with only 10 to 15 of those making it to air on Saturday night. Also of interest is that cast member Jason Sudeikis' uncle is George Wendt, the happy-go-lucky alcoholic Norm from Cheers.

As Sklar says, a lot of this information is for the committed comedy wonk. So, if you aren't into the behind-the-scenes stuff this may not be for you. However, if you want to know about the "Really Important Things That SNL Staff, Cast & Writers Should Know" bulletin board, click here.