Hollywood is facing a cliffhanger after members of the Writers Guild of America voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike that could begin as soon as next week. The previous writers' strike lasted 100 days in 2007-08 and was costly to the businesses that serve Hollywood and to consumers expecting to be entertained. They returned during the strike either without writers or, in Letterman's case, with a separate guild deal through his production company. DOLLARS AND CENTSThe 100-day writers' strike that started in late 2007 cost the economy in the Los Angeles area around $2.5 billion, according to estimates at the time. ———AP Film Writer Jake Coyle and AP Technology Writer Tali Arbel in New York contributed to this report.

Source: ABC News April 25, 2017 22:09 UTC