The Writers Guild of America said yesterday that its members will be allowed to work for the Spirit Awards honoring independent film despite uncertainties surrounding other awards shows because of the Hollywood writers strike.

The guild said in a statement that its members may work for the Spirit Awards because the show's producers asked for permission before the strike began seven weeks ago.

The guild already has refused to participate in the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, which represent Hollywood's biggest promotional showcases. Labor experts have said it's an attempt by the guild to bring the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers back to the bargaining table and reach a favorable deal on issues that include compensation for digital media.

Producers of the People's Choice Awards said Wednesday that they are revamping the format for their awards because of the strike, while the Screen Actors Guild awards have the blessing of the writers to go on as usual.

The Spirit Awards will be presented Feb. 23, the day before the Academy Awards.

The second season finale of Showtime's "Dexter" smashed records for the premium cable network.

Sunday night's "Dexter" drew 1.4 million total viewers in its first 9 p.m. airing, making it the most-watched single airing audience ever for a Showtime series.

The previous record was held by the Nov. 18 episode of "Dexter," which drew 1.23 million, a small boost from the 1.21 million who watched a 2004 telecast of "Soul Food."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show's 10 p.m. encore drew an addition 382,000 viewers.

Last December's season one "Dexter" finale attracted 1.2 million, with 148,000 tuning in for the same-night encore. (Zap2It.com)

No one seems to want to unveil a new series on Jan. 3.

ABC is the latest to move a premiere off that date. The network has decided to hold the premiere of its drama "Cashmere Mafia" until Jan. 6, meaning that it will follow the final pre-strike episode of "Desperate Housewives" instead of the final pre-strike episode of "Grey's Anatomy." A "Housewives" repeat will fill the 10 p.m. hour on the 3rd.

The move follows NBC's decision to delay the debut of "The Celebrity Apprentice," which had been scheduled for Jan. 3, by one week. It will now begin Jan. 10.

The sudden zeal to move away from Jan. 3 likely has a couple of catalysts. For one, Fox is broadcasting the Orange Bowl that night, and while the matchup -- Virginia Tech vs. Kansas -- may not thrill casual fans, the big bowl games tend to pull in solid ratings regardless of who's playing. Jan. 3 is also the night of the Iowa caucuses, the first official contest of the 2008 campaign, and the networks will likely be breaking into their regular programming during the course of the evening.

Following its premiere at 10 p.m. Jan. 6 -- where it displaces "Brothers & Sisters" for a week -- "Cashmere Mafia" will move to its regular home at 10 p.m. Jan. 9. The show, executive produced by "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star, centers on four powerful women (Bonnie Somerville, Lucy Liu, Miranda Otto and Frances O'Connor) in New York. (Zap2It.com)

After initially moving C-SPAN 2 off a low-cost tier in only a few communities, Comcast has now moved the channel on all local systems, including the City of Pittsburgh. It can now be found on Channel 186 on traditional Comcast systems and Channel 184 on former Adelphia systems.

C-SPAN was started by the cable industry as a public service "to provide public access to the political process, " according to the C-SPAN Web site. In the city, C-SPAN 2 moves from basic ($16.99 monthly) to digital classic ($60.44 monthly).

Why would a public service channel be moved to a tier some subscribers cannot afford? A Comcast representative declined to comment. (Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)