Mar 29, 2024
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Awards shows could suffer in WGA strike

Without the quips between celebrity presenters, inside jokes about the entertainment industry and skits that poke fun at stars behaving badly, awards shows would be little more than shiny trophies and long lists of names.

That could be the case for some of the shows in Hollywood’s fabled awards season this year if the Writers Guild of America remains on strike for several months.

The script for the American Music Awards, which aired last Sunday, was written before the strike," said veteran writer Bruce Vilanch, who has worked on the Academy Awards for the past 18 years. "Most standup performers write for themselves and when they have shows, they get a writing credit."

Nominees for the Golden Globe Awards will be revealed Dec. 13, and the script begins the following day, said executive producer Barry Adelman.

"We’re hopeful the issues pertaining to the … strike will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction before then," he said in a statement. "We intend to explore all of our available options in the upcoming weeks."

Some shows employ a dozen or more writers, Vilanch said, with starting "a couple months" before showtime and continuing until the final curtain falls.

"You’re responding to what happens during the course of the show, so there’s writing going on all evening long," he said, adding that nearly every part of the program is the work of the writers – "anything basically except an acceptance speech."

"If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage," he said. "The contribution the writers make is the same contribution every other creative element makes. It’s important."

The Screen Actors Guild could find itself writer-less, too. Nominees will be announced Dec. 20, and "the majority of writing is done after we have the nominations announcement," said spokeswoman Rosalind Jarret.

Jon Stewart, whose "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central has been in reruns since the strike began, had no comment on how it might affect his duties as host of the 80th Academy Awards.

Even the Writers Guild is unsure about the strike’s impact on the upcoming awards season.

"Many of the awards shows are written under WGA contracts," said spokesman Neal Sacharow, "and how the strike will affect those shows remains to be seen."

However, Vilanch is sure of one thing: Awards shows would be dull without writers.

"There might be a show where people just kind of come out and read the names and give the awards, and in between you have some lovely production numbers," he said. "I bet choreographers are just champing at the bit."

<font size=1>Source: Associated Press</font>

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Front Page, Industry News

Awards shows could suffer in WGA strike

Without the quips between celebrity presenters, inside jokes about the entertainment industry and skits that poke fun at stars behaving badly, awards shows would be little more than shiny trophies and long lists of names.

That could be the case for some of the shows in Hollywood’s fabled awards season this year if the Writers Guild of America remains on strike for several months.

The script for the American Music Awards, which aired last Sunday, was written before the strike," said veteran writer Bruce Vilanch, who has worked on the Academy Awards for the past 18 years. "Most standup performers write for themselves and when they have shows, they get a writing credit."

Nominees for the Golden Globe Awards will be revealed Dec. 13, and the script begins the following day, said executive producer Barry Adelman.

"We’re hopeful the issues pertaining to the … strike will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction before then," he said in a statement. "We intend to explore all of our available options in the upcoming weeks."

Some shows employ a dozen or more writers, Vilanch said, with starting "a couple months" before showtime and continuing until the final curtain falls.

"You’re responding to what happens during the course of the show, so there’s writing going on all evening long," he said, adding that nearly every part of the program is the work of the writers – "anything basically except an acceptance speech."

"If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage," he said. "The contribution the writers make is the same contribution every other creative element makes. It’s important."

The Screen Actors Guild could find itself writer-less, too. Nominees will be announced Dec. 20, and "the majority of writing is done after we have the nominations announcement," said spokeswoman Rosalind Jarret.

Jon Stewart, whose "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central has been in reruns since the strike began, had no comment on how it might affect his duties as host of the 80th Academy Awards.

Even the Writers Guild is unsure about the strike’s impact on the upcoming awards season.

"Many of the awards shows are written under WGA contracts," said spokesman Neal Sacharow, "and how the strike will affect those shows remains to be seen."

However, Vilanch is sure of one thing: Awards shows would be dull without writers.

"There might be a show where people just kind of come out and read the names and give the awards, and in between you have some lovely production numbers," he said. "I bet choreographers are just champing at the bit."

<font size=1>Source: Associated Press</font>

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Front Page, Industry News

Awards shows could suffer in WGA strike

Without the quips between celebrity presenters, inside jokes about the entertainment industry and skits that poke fun at stars behaving badly, awards shows would be little more than shiny trophies and long lists of names.

That could be the case for some of the shows in Hollywood’s fabled awards season this year if the Writers Guild of America remains on strike for several months.

The script for the American Music Awards, which aired last Sunday, was written before the strike," said veteran writer Bruce Vilanch, who has worked on the Academy Awards for the past 18 years. "Most standup performers write for themselves and when they have shows, they get a writing credit."

Nominees for the Golden Globe Awards will be revealed Dec. 13, and the script begins the following day, said executive producer Barry Adelman.

"We’re hopeful the issues pertaining to the … strike will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction before then," he said in a statement. "We intend to explore all of our available options in the upcoming weeks."

Some shows employ a dozen or more writers, Vilanch said, with starting "a couple months" before showtime and continuing until the final curtain falls.

"You’re responding to what happens during the course of the show, so there’s writing going on all evening long," he said, adding that nearly every part of the program is the work of the writers – "anything basically except an acceptance speech."

"If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage," he said. "The contribution the writers make is the same contribution every other creative element makes. It’s important."

The Screen Actors Guild could find itself writer-less, too. Nominees will be announced Dec. 20, and "the majority of writing is done after we have the nominations announcement," said spokeswoman Rosalind Jarret.

Jon Stewart, whose "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central has been in reruns since the strike began, had no comment on how it might affect his duties as host of the 80th Academy Awards.

Even the Writers Guild is unsure about the strike’s impact on the upcoming awards season.

"Many of the awards shows are written under WGA contracts," said spokesman Neal Sacharow, "and how the strike will affect those shows remains to be seen."

However, Vilanch is sure of one thing: Awards shows would be dull without writers.

"There might be a show where people just kind of come out and read the names and give the awards, and in between you have some lovely production numbers," he said. "I bet choreographers are just champing at the bit."

<font size=1>Source: Associated Press</font>

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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