I recently published this article today, but as always in print media, it is already outdated. The Golden Globes is no longer in question -- it has been cancelled to air due to the Writer's Guild of America picket lines. Now George and Brad and Denzel and everyone else can attend. Yay. Except we don't quite get to see what they are wearing on a red carpet. All NBC has planned are interview before/ after the show and after-party hops. Woop-de-do! Fine with me! Anyhow, here is the article:
A night for the crickets
Actors refuse to cross WGA picket-lines at next Sunday’s Golden Globes
Published in The Medium Weekly. Monday January 7, 2007:
The 65th annual Golden Globe awards is still scheduled to air on NBC next Sunday, Jan 13, despite a ‘unanimous’ statement from the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) that none of their representative nominees or presenters will show. Celeb mugs refuse to strut and pose across WGA picket-lines (Writer’s Guild of America).
The WGA has been on strike for 9 weeks, costing the entertainment industry millions of dollars. Last time a strike like this occurred was in 1988, and it lasted for almost 22 weeks. This ended up poking a 500 million dollar hole in industry pockets. What exactly is being asked by the WGA of Hollywood?
The writers from the union representative of all those involved in entertainment and news, want a slice of DVD sales, new jurisdiction of reality and animated features as writers, and most importantly, higher pay. The central issue however, is the issue of online content.
Currently, the WGA has no arrangement regarding the use of their content online. This is called “new media” which includes internet downloads and video feeds. Writers want distribution compensation for the features they create now, because it is projected the internet will overpower current distribution procedures and regular scheduled television programs, as a major entertainment and news source. The death of print is now emerging in news media, and it is only a matter of time before the entertainment market follows suit.
What may come as a surprise is the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), who puts on the Golden Globes, is a non-profit organization. Last year, the award ceremony allowed the HFPA to make a 1.7 million dollar donation to creative projects such as The Film Foundation, Sundance Institute, Film Independent, American Cinematheque and schools including USC, UCLA, and Cal Arts.
All of these projects, because of the creative communities lack in support will be, according to the official Golden Globe website, “severely impacted.” What PR for the HFPA is stressing is the lack of money in the creative community that will come from snubbing the Gold. HFPA president Jorge Camara, posted the following statement on the Golden Globe website last Friday,
"The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been placed in an extremely difficult position with the ongoing Writers Guild strike. We are making every effort to work out a solution that will permit the Golden Globes to take place with the creative community present to participate. We hope to announce a resolution to this unfortunate predicament on Monday [Jan 7]."
According to MSNBC.com, the fate of the Golden Globes this year is up to celebrities. Denzel Washington, nominated for Best actor in a leading role for The Great Debaters, expresses WGA support on the web article, but hoped the strike could have been settled before awards season, “The writers deserve to get their slice,” he said. “If the studios (are) making money on something that the writer wrote and the actor acted in and the director directed, then those people deserve to make money too.”
All members of SAG, the nation’s largest labor union to working actors, are firm in their refusal to cross a picket line. There are 72 SAG members who are nominees. Major attendees belonging to the union include, George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ryan Gosling, Kiera Knightly, and upcoming Canadian Star like Juno’s Ellen Page.
For mercy, the WGA has made it clear that they will not picket the awards if they are not televised. According to Fox Television, industry insiders say the best thing for the HFPA and the Golden Globes is to not televise it. The WGA has nothing against the HFPA, the bottom-line is that unlike the SAG awards and the Independent Spirit Awards, they have not come to a negotiation and bottom-line – the televised event will make money. The following statement was posted on the United Press International website January 1st:
"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. In the meantime, we are grateful for the ongoing support of the Hollywood talent community."
NBC has refused to comment on the matter.
