We won't picket Golden Globes, say striking writers

Striking Hollywood writers have decided not to picket tomorrow’s Golden Globe Awards after organisers changed it from an exclusive TV broadcast to an event open to all media.

The Writers Guild of America issued a brief statement saying it had given the Hollywood Foreign Press Association its assurance that writers would not protest outside the news conference where winners will be announced.

The association announced the expanded media access yesterday, marking a reversal of NBC’s intent to cover the strike-hit event exclusively for television.

“Under the new arrangement, there will be no restrictions placed on media outlets covering the press conference,” the association said.

Organisers of the traditionally glitzy ceremony, known as a warm-up for the Oscars, were faced with the lack of star power after the Screen Actors Guild said it had encouraged its members to boycott the show in support of the two-month walkout by the writers union.

That led NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to devise the news conference approach for the Globes broadcast that had been intended to showcase the likes of nominees Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington.

The collapse of the Globes ceremony is an ominous sign for the Academy Awards on February 24 on ABC. The writers guild refused to grant waivers for its members to work on the Oscars or the Globes.

The latest announcement came after behind-the-scenes struggles between the association and NBC over the format of the unusual broadcast.

NBC initially said the Golden Globes would be an exclusive programme for the network, which was treating it as a news event in which no money would change hands between NBC and the press association.

Along with losing out on its reported £2.5-£3 million licence for the full-blown ceremony, the association also had seen NBC shut out other TV outlets and give NBC Universal’s Access Hollywood anchors Nancy O’Dell and Billy Bush starring roles in the announcement.

By moving the awards announcement to the news division, where workers are not part of the Writers Guild of America dispute, the network was also hoping to keep away guild pickets.

The guild said it did not have an immediate comment on the revised announcement plans.

There had also been plans announced for other Globe-related shows, including a Dateline NBC programme with clips and interviews with nominees, and a show covering Globe parties.

Besides Jolie and Washington, this year’s nominees include other celebrities including George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Daniel Day-Lewis, Keira Knightley, Cate Blanchett and Johnny Depp.

Meanwhile, the union representing Hollywood directors will begin contract talks with studios today in a move that could affect the strike.

The announcement was made in a brief joint statement by the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

A quick deal by directors could undercut the bargaining power of the Hollywood writers by serving as an industry template for new media and other issues.

The directors guild said late last year that it would delay the start of talks to give writers a chance to come to an agreement with studios.

But directors, known for conducting early and efficient talks, clearly lost patience after negotiations between the writers and studios broke off on December 7.