Golden Globes set for new format in face of writer's strike

The Golden Globes and broadcasting giant NBC is poised to scrap the traditional show format to be picketed by striking writers, in favour of a news conference approach, a person close to the awards said.

Faced with a threat by actors to boycott the ceremony rather than cross picket lines, organisers were forced to look at other approaches that would preserve the star power of the unofficial kick-off to the Hollywood awards season.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which owns the Globes, was trying last night to reach an agreement on a revamped format with NBC, which was to air the January 13 ceremony.

Instead of the traditional show featuring a boozy, glitzy dinner party and awards presentation, the event would be covered as a news event in a series of NBC specials, according to a Los Angeles Times report that cited an NBC memo emailed to film studios.

Proposed coverage would include a Dateline NBC programme with clips and interviews with nominees, a news conference announcing the award winners, and then a show covering Globe parties, the memo said.

NBC was also in talks with dick clark productions, which produces the ceremony, for an hour-long Globes retrospective.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been grappling with how to present the awards since the Writers Guild of America rebuffed its efforts to reach an interim deal for the ceremony, similar to the one the guild granted David Letterman's show.

On Friday, the Screen Actors Guild said that it appeared that all the nominated actors would refuse to cross picket lines, a stance reinforced in a letter sent by publicists representing the stars.

With the show stripped of the star power of nominees such as Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington, it was unclear how big an audience it would attract for NBC and its advertisers.

Meanwhile, the striking writers have reached a deal with Tom Cruise's production outfit, United Artists Films, to resume working while the dispute continues against other studios.

The deal announced last night was the first reached with big-screen producers by the Writers Guild of America. The terms were not disclosed.

"United Artists has lived up to its name. UA and the writers guild came together and negotiated seriously. The end result is that we have a deal that will put people back to work," said Patric Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West.

The guild said the agreement addressed key issues of writers, who walked out over their cut of potential profits from programming on the internet and other new media.

The deal does not include MGM, the main parent company of United Artists.

In a statement, MGM said it "understands the desire of United Artists to resume its business activities but respectfully disagrees with its decision to sign an interim agreement".