Writers’ Strike Likely to Impact Golden Globes

With the strike by the Writers Guild of America continuing, a very juicy target is likely to be the Golden Globe Awards for this year. Things are already heating up, with the striking writers declining to talk with organizers of the Globe about holding a ceremony not marred by picketing writers.

To add to the whole issue, the actors’ union also stepped in, saying its stance would be to advise Hollywood celebrities who were nominees as well as presenters to effectively boycott the event scheduled this year for January 13.

If that were to happen, the Globes, a premier event usually, would be without the glam and the buzz that surrounds it. It is this glamorous and glitzy image that makes the Globes a high octane, star-studded event and the official precursor to the Academy Awards a.k.a. the Oscars.

A statement by the president of the Screen Actors’ Guild, one of the most powerful Hollywood actors’ unions, said in a statement that it was unlikely celebrity nominees as well as presenters would be present at the Globes unless the writers’ strike crisis was resolved.

In his statement, Rosenberg said, “Unless and until there is an agreement between the WGA and HFPA, we will advise our members of their rights with respect to not crossing WGA picket lines and/or not appearing on programs using non-union writers.”

The Globes organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had been looking forward to a solution through last-minute talks with the striking Writers Guild of America. That was not to be, as members of the Guild issued a statement late Wednesday that the guild had decided to picket the Globes.

In a statement, the guild said, “The WGA has great respect and admiration for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, but we are engaged in a crucial struggle that will protect our income and intellectual property rights for generations to come. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring industry negotiations to a fair conclusion.”

On Wednesday, Jorge Camara, the president of the HFPA had issued a statement to the effect that they were engaged in talks with the writers’ guild and hoped to reach an ‘interim agreement’ that would make it possible for them to have the Globes as a normal event on Sunday, January 13, without the picket lines.

The HFPA was hoping to arrive at a deal similar to the one David Letterman had made with the writers to enable his show, The Late Show with David Letterman, to continue unaffected by the strike, with participation from writers.

In his statement, Camara also said, “The Late Show with David Letterman and the Golden Globe Awards are similar in structure and are administered in the same way because each is produced by an independent company and neither is owned by the networks that broadcast them.”

In their statement, the Guild said one of the organizations that had been struck was Dick Clark Productions, the producers of the Golden Globe Awards. The statement said, “As previously announced, the Writers Guild will be picketing the Golden Globe Awards.”

There was no comment from the official broadcaster of the Golden Globe Awards, NBC, regarding these developments as of Wednesday.