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Headline, Industry News
Grammys 50-year celebration could be a strike casuality
Wednesday January 16th 2008After a year-long buildup to its 50th anniversary blowout, the Grammy Awards may see its party crashed by the Writers Guild of America, the striking scribes who turned the Golden Globes into a glitz-free news conference.
On Tuesday, the Grammy show’s producers petitioned the WGA for an interim waiver, despite a guild statement declaring a waiver unlikely. Citing the Recording Academy’s advocacy in union struggles for fair compensation, the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists expressed support for the Grammys and Cossette Productions’ petition.
No decision has been made to picket the Feb. 10 show, which is scheduled to air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but Cossette is among the companies the union is striking.
The music-heavy show may seem an unlikely target, but "CBS is a struck company, the show has writers, and the writers are on strike," says WGA East’s Sherry Goldman. (Only two of the show’s 700-plus union workers are WGA members.)
Star wattage could dim dramatically if musicians bow to Screen Actors Guild pressure to skip the Grammys or refuse to cross picket lines. Nominees with movie or TV credits include Justin Timberlake, Queen Latifah, Beyoncé, Tim McGraw, Fantasia, Jack White and Jon Bon Jovi.
"The show won’t have the usual TV and film stars as presenters," says Phil Gallo, associate editor at Variety. "And anyone who aspires to have a Hollywood career is going to think twice."
Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Joni Mitchell, the Beastie Boys and others known to support unions are probably no-shows. "We’ll see who shows up," Gallo says. "We don’t know everyone’s politics and ambitions. Playing the Grammys is a good gig."
The Grammys could become a casualty despite being "the easiest show to produce without writers, because it’s so performance-driven," says Gallo.
Grammy officials are optimistic. "The show will go on," said Recording Academy president Neil Portnow in a statement. "We will take whatever action is necessary to ensure that a program so vital to our industry … is held as planned. Accordingly, all preparations … remain in full swing."
On Tuesday, the WGA granted a waiver allowing the NAACP Image Awards to take place. Waivers also permitted the Independent Spirit Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards shows to go forward, but the Globes and People’s Choice Awards were reduced to starless ratings flops.
Meanwhile, the Directors Guild of America met Tuesday for the fourth day with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, looking to iron out a new contract. There’s speculation that an agreement with the directors could affect the writers’ strike: Producers may not offer writers compensation for use of their work on new media beyond what would be covered by the directors’ new contract.
<font size=1>Source: USA Today</font>
Headline, Industry News
Grammys 50-year celebration could be a strike casuality
Wednesday January 16th 2008After a year-long buildup to its 50th anniversary blowout, the Grammy Awards may see its party crashed by the Writers Guild of America, the striking scribes who turned the Golden Globes into a glitz-free news conference.
On Tuesday, the Grammy show’s producers petitioned the WGA for an interim waiver, despite a guild statement declaring a waiver unlikely. Citing the Recording Academy’s advocacy in union struggles for fair compensation, the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists expressed support for the Grammys and Cossette Productions’ petition.
No decision has been made to picket the Feb. 10 show, which is scheduled to air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but Cossette is among the companies the union is striking.
The music-heavy show may seem an unlikely target, but "CBS is a struck company, the show has writers, and the writers are on strike," says WGA East’s Sherry Goldman. (Only two of the show’s 700-plus union workers are WGA members.)
Star wattage could dim dramatically if musicians bow to Screen Actors Guild pressure to skip the Grammys or refuse to cross picket lines. Nominees with movie or TV credits include Justin Timberlake, Queen Latifah, Beyoncé, Tim McGraw, Fantasia, Jack White and Jon Bon Jovi.
"The show won’t have the usual TV and film stars as presenters," says Phil Gallo, associate editor at Variety. "And anyone who aspires to have a Hollywood career is going to think twice."
Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Joni Mitchell, the Beastie Boys and others known to support unions are probably no-shows. "We’ll see who shows up," Gallo says. "We don’t know everyone’s politics and ambitions. Playing the Grammys is a good gig."
The Grammys could become a casualty despite being "the easiest show to produce without writers, because it’s so performance-driven," says Gallo.
Grammy officials are optimistic. "The show will go on," said Recording Academy president Neil Portnow in a statement. "We will take whatever action is necessary to ensure that a program so vital to our industry … is held as planned. Accordingly, all preparations … remain in full swing."
On Tuesday, the WGA granted a waiver allowing the NAACP Image Awards to take place. Waivers also permitted the Independent Spirit Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards shows to go forward, but the Globes and People’s Choice Awards were reduced to starless ratings flops.
Meanwhile, the Directors Guild of America met Tuesday for the fourth day with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, looking to iron out a new contract. There’s speculation that an agreement with the directors could affect the writers’ strike: Producers may not offer writers compensation for use of their work on new media beyond what would be covered by the directors’ new contract.
<font size=1>Source: USA Today</font>
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Headline, Industry News
Grammys 50-year celebration could be a strike casuality
Wednesday January 16th 2008After a year-long buildup to its 50th anniversary blowout, the Grammy Awards may see its party crashed by the Writers Guild of America, the striking scribes who turned the Golden Globes into a glitz-free news conference.
On Tuesday, the Grammy show’s producers petitioned the WGA for an interim waiver, despite a guild statement declaring a waiver unlikely. Citing the Recording Academy’s advocacy in union struggles for fair compensation, the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists expressed support for the Grammys and Cossette Productions’ petition.
No decision has been made to picket the Feb. 10 show, which is scheduled to air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but Cossette is among the companies the union is striking.
The music-heavy show may seem an unlikely target, but "CBS is a struck company, the show has writers, and the writers are on strike," says WGA East’s Sherry Goldman. (Only two of the show’s 700-plus union workers are WGA members.)
Star wattage could dim dramatically if musicians bow to Screen Actors Guild pressure to skip the Grammys or refuse to cross picket lines. Nominees with movie or TV credits include Justin Timberlake, Queen Latifah, Beyoncé, Tim McGraw, Fantasia, Jack White and Jon Bon Jovi.
"The show won’t have the usual TV and film stars as presenters," says Phil Gallo, associate editor at Variety. "And anyone who aspires to have a Hollywood career is going to think twice."
Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Joni Mitchell, the Beastie Boys and others known to support unions are probably no-shows. "We’ll see who shows up," Gallo says. "We don’t know everyone’s politics and ambitions. Playing the Grammys is a good gig."
The Grammys could become a casualty despite being "the easiest show to produce without writers, because it’s so performance-driven," says Gallo.
Grammy officials are optimistic. "The show will go on," said Recording Academy president Neil Portnow in a statement. "We will take whatever action is necessary to ensure that a program so vital to our industry … is held as planned. Accordingly, all preparations … remain in full swing."
On Tuesday, the WGA granted a waiver allowing the NAACP Image Awards to take place. Waivers also permitted the Independent Spirit Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards shows to go forward, but the Globes and People’s Choice Awards were reduced to starless ratings flops.
Meanwhile, the Directors Guild of America met Tuesday for the fourth day with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, looking to iron out a new contract. There’s speculation that an agreement with the directors could affect the writers’ strike: Producers may not offer writers compensation for use of their work on new media beyond what would be covered by the directors’ new contract.
<font size=1>Source: USA Today</font>
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