STAR spotters will be spoilt for choice this week as a army of American television stars arrive in Sydney to spruik their shows.

The US writers strike has forced production giant Warner Bros to shift its annual press junket for the small screen’s next big hits from Los Angeles - to Sydney.

Ten of the hottest new TV stars, along with journalists from around the world, are flying in for a frantic round of interviews.

Hollywood’s loss is Channel Nine’s gain, as the shows are all due to be shown on the network this year.

Dropping in will be Thomas Dekker and Summer Glau from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a small-screen sequel to the hit film Terminator 2.
Lee Pace from Pushing Daisies, Kathryn Morris from Cold Case, Zachary Levi from Chuck and Ed Westwick from Gossip Girl will also be attending.

Jason Lee, from My Name Is Earl, was spotted in Newcastle last week.

Yvonne Strahovski, the Aussie-born star of Chuck, is returning home to Sydney, and will visit her family in between her media commitments.

A spokeswoman for Channel Nine said: “It’s all very exciting and it is great for us to have all these stars over in Sydney.

“Normally the press event is held in LA but because of the writers strike Warner decided to shift it here.”

The trip may be the last chance for the stars to grab a bit of downtime, however, as reports suggest that the three-month strike which has stopped production of the top shows, may be over by as soon as tomorrow. Members of the Writers Guild of America were due to discuss a proposed deal over the weekend.

A media blackout on the proposals has been agreed between the writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, so no details of the deal have been divulged.

The 12,000-strong writers guild has been demanding a cut of profits from internet streaming of their programmes.

Hilary Winston, a writer on the sitcom My Name Is Earl, said: “The feeling is relief and optimism and excitement.

“I hope this deal made this three months worth it.”

Source: smh.com.au