News: Carson Daly the saving grace of late night television during the writers strike?

In an apparently "bold" move, the once and future king of douchebaggery (it's for the children, you know), Carson Daly will be resuming the taping of his show (which, to be honest, still has us in awe as to how both it and that Kimmel-bomb are still on the air), reluctantly becoming a figurehead in the we-don't-care-about-those-writers move.

Daly, who is not a member of the Writers Guild, will begin taping new episodes of his Burbank-based show this week for airing next week, an NBC spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

The half-hour "Last Call" airs at 1:35 a.m. EST weeknights, but whether Daly's first new episode would air next Monday or Tuesday was initially unclear. No guests were disclosed.

A call for comment to the Writers Guild was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Daly is not the first talk-show host to go back into production. Ellen DeGeneres, who is a member of the union, has continued taping her daytime syndicated talk show after shutting down the first day of the strike. But "Last Call" becomes the first to break ranks among the late-night shows, which all had chosen to air repeats rather than tape new shows without their striking writers.

(mp3)    The Blow - Babay (Eat A Critter, Feel It's Wrath), from the Paper Television LP

Godspeed!