I guess I can shelve the pickle juice…
Striking Hollywood writers finally got their way… the Golden Globe Awards are officially cancelled and thus have become yet another victim of the writers’ work stoppage.
Organizers of the ceremony say they will still give out the awards, only now they will do so via a press conference. That’s right; no more fancy tuxes, sparkly dresses or that lavish champagne dinner in the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom. Instead, viewers can look forward to an hour-long telecast on NBC in which the winners will simply be read off cards, and if all goes according to the revamped plan, a few stars will appear in taped segments to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the honor (though details on star acceptances have yet to be worked out).
The drastic move comes as a result of Friday’s announcement by the Screen Actors Guild, which stated that its high-profile members (think Angelina Jolie, George Clooney and Tom Hanks) would not cross Writers Guild of America picket lines, effectively leaving the show without any stars.
I should note that SAG officials are not forcing Globe nominees to boycott the awards show; rather they say they merely “highly encouraged” their members not to cross the picket lines.
As he arrived at the Critics’ Choice Awards last night, George Clooney told reporters that he belongs to six unions and would not cross any picket lines. However, actress Nikki Blonsky, who is a first time Globe nominee for her role in “Hairspray,” revealed she is still undecided about whether she will attend the revised award presentation. If Blonsky does attend it wouldn’t be the first time a celebrity crossed the line to accept a prize. When the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists were on strike in 1980, Powers Booth showed up to collect his trophy—-though he was the only one to do so.
This year’s Golden Globe nominees include several A-listers such as Denzel Washington, Clooney, Hanks, Daniel Day-Lewis, Keira Knightley, Cate Blanchett and Johnny Depp. Among the nominated films are “There Will Be Blood,””American Gangster” and “Sweeney Todd.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, in addition to the scheduled press conference, NBC is also planning other Globe-related shows, including a “Dateline NBC” program with clips and interviews with nominees, and a show covering Globe parties.
But, now that the official awards have been cancelled, who’s going to be interested in watching shows about the after-parties?
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