Jokes Return to Late Night but Writers' Picket Lines Remain

Just in time for election jokes, late-night TV is back – but only David Letterman has made a deal with the otherwise-striking television writers, allowing them to return to his and fellow CBS host Craig Ferguson's shows.

Letterman invited 10 out-of-work writers from daytime, prime-time and other late-night shows to deliver his Top 10 list Wednesday night, detailing their contract "demands."

No. 10: "Complimentary tote bag with next insulting contract offer." No. 6:  "No disciplinary action taken against any writer caught having inappropriate relationship with a copier." No. 2, delivered by a writer for Conan O'Brien's show, "I don't have a joke -- I just want to remind everyone that we're on strike, so none of us are responsible for this lame list."

The two-month old strike involves fair compensation for writers whose material makes millions for media companies that rebroadcast it on the internet and other digital media.

Writers Guild of America members picketed outside the NBC homes of hosts Jay Leno and O'Brien, who returned to air without writers. Though strikers said they are targeting the network and not the hosts, who publicly support the writers, many would-be celebrity guests are expected to refuse to cross the picket lines. That wasn't an issue for Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who flew in from campaigning in Iowa to appear with Leno on Wednesday.