Waivers Denied for Awards Shows

LOS ANGELES, December 18: As its strike action continues,
the Writers Guild of America has denied waivers to two of Hollywood’s biggest
events: the Golden Globes, set for January 13, and the Academy Awards, taking
place February 24.

The Writers Guild says it has notified the Hollywood Foreign
Press Association and dick clark productions that it will not allow its members
to write for 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards. The guild also denied a request
from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a waiver in connection
with the use of clips from motion pictures and past Academy Awards shows during
the annual Oscars ceremony.

Meanwhile, with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) expressing its
solidarity with the Writers Guild, there is speculation that many celebrities
will boycott the events.

The waiver denials by WGA come as late-night hosts Conan
O’Brien and Jay Leno prepare to return to work. After two months of repeats, The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late
Night with Conan O’Brien will resume
broadcasting new episodes beginning January 2, 2008. Announcing the move, Rick
Ludwin, the executive VP of late night and prime-time series at NBC, noted:
"During the 1988 writers strike, Johnny Carson reluctantly returned to The
Tonight Show without his writers after two
months. Both Jay and Conan have supported their writers during the first two
months of this WGA strike and will continue to support them. However, there are
hundreds of people who will be able to return to work as a result of Jay’s and
Conan’s decision.”

In his own statement, O’Brien said: "For the past seven
weeks of the writers’ strike, I have been and continue to be an ardent
supporter of the WGA and their cause. My career in television started as a WGA
member and my subsequent career as a performer has only been possible because
of the creativity and integrity of my writing staff.… Unfortunately, now with
the New Year upon us, I am left with a difficult decision. Either go back to
work and keep my staff employed or stay dark and allow 80 people, many of whom
have worked for me for fourteen years, to lose their jobs…. An unwritten
version of Late Night, though not
desirable, is possible—and no one has to be fired.”

Leno, who has also been a high-profile supporter of the WGA,
noted: “Now that the talks have broken down and there are no further
negotiations scheduled I feel it’s my responsibility to get my 100 non-writing
staff members, who were laid off, back to work. We fully support our writers
and I think they understand my decision."

—By Mansha Daswani