ROUNDUP They Write the Shows The Hollywood contingent cranks out the scripts. by Jen Davis

Fox IT'S NOT EASY being a network TV writer. You have to come up with David Letterman's gags, invent plot twists for The Practice and keep pop-culture references flowing on The Simpsons. And then there are the ratings to worry about. We tracked down a handful of active alumni scribes (sometimes known as producers) and asked them to share a personal story. Are they true? You decide.   Writer: Bob Breech, '69 Show: The Practice (ABC) Little-Known Fact: As location manager for Bay City Blues, unknowingly rented a Mafia hangout from a major L.A. kingpin   Writer: David Chase, MA '71 Show: The Sopranos (HBO) Little-Known Fact: Solely responsible for Stanford communication professor Henry Breitrose subscribing to HBO   Writer: Alex Gregory, '92 Show: King of the Hill (Fox) Little-Known Fact: Suggested the nail-biting pause between question and answer on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?   ABC/Bob D'Amico Writer: Chris Harris, '92 Show: The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) Little-Known Fact: Moonlights as the guy in the background of movie car-chase scenes who yells, "Hey, look what you did to my car!"   Writer: Peter Huyck, '93 Show: King of the Hill (Fox) Little-Known Fact: Cousin Willard Huyck wrote Howard the Duck, the "worst movie in Hollywood history"   Writer: Christine Levinson, '95 Show: Charmed (WB) Little-Known Fact: Landed first job in television after hitting a producer with her car   NBC/Bill Reitzel Writer: Marsh McCall, '86 Show: Just Shoot Me (NBC) Little-Known Fact: Father is classics professor Marsh McCall   Writer: Jon Sherman, '90 Show: Frasier (NBC) Little-Known Fact: Created the Friday humor column in the Daily   Writer: Sam Simon, '77 Show: The Simpsons (Fox) and The Drew Carey Show (ABC) Little-Known Fact: "I'm the most talented person in this chart"