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UPDATE: WGA Still Saying NOPE To Golden Globes
The show is still NOT cancelled. Here, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association demonstrates that it's willing to humiliate itself just to obtain an interim agreement from the striking WGA for Hollywood's most meaningless yet most marketable awards show. My guess? Never gonna happen:
LOS ANGELES, CA, JANUARY 2, 2008 -- Jorge Camara, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a not-for-profit California corporation comprised of journalists, which wholly owns the “Golden Globe Awards,” today issued the following statement in response to media and other inquiries:
I am happy to announce that on Saturday morning, December 29, 2007, our attorneys began discussions with the Writers Guild of America to enter into an interim agreement similar to that entered into by the WGA and Worldwide Pants, which permits writers guild members to go back to work writing for The Late Show With David Letterman. We feel that the Late Show With David Letterman agreement is very reasonable, and hope and expect the WGA will agree to the same terms and ultimately permit the “Golden Globe Awards” to be broadcast as scheduled, without picket lines, on Sunday, January 13.
We are pleased that the WGA has made interim agreements available for independent production companies. The process established by the WGA permits writers to get back to work, grants the WGA the rights it is seeking on behalf of all writers, and allows certain shows to move forward. The Late Show With David Letterman and the “Golden Globe Awards” are similar in structure and are administered in the same way. Worldwide Pants produces The Late Show with David Letterman for broadcast on behalf of David Letterman, Dick Clark Productions produces the “Golden Globe Awards” for broadcast on behalf of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. CBS does not own Late Show with David Letterman, and NBC does not own the “Golden Globe Awards.”
We strongly support the WGA and the efforts they are making on behalf of writers, and applaud the fact that they have agreed to allow certain industry awards shows to move forward with WGA writers and be broadcast. Much like the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Film Independent’s Spirit Awards, we want to enter into an agreement with the WGA that will allow the entertainment industry to celebrate the outstanding work of creative individuals in addition to millions of fans nationwide. It is only fair that we be afforded the same opportunity as these other awards shows.
What’s more, our partners at Dick Clark Productions share in our support of the WGA and their efforts and have agreed to enter into interim agreements for all of their productions, including the “American Music Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and “The Academy Of Country Music Awards” among others.
An interim agreement with the WGA will also help numerous schools and entertainment industry non-profit organizations receive annual donations from the HFPA. Over the last several years the HFPA has contributed approximately $8 million to organizations including The Film Foundation, Sundance Institute, Film Independent, American Cinematheque and schools including USC, UCLA, and Cal Arts. All of these programs will be severely impacted without the funds made available as a direct result of the Golden Globe Awards broadcast.
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Why?
Why are we throwing away an opportunity to draw worldwide attention to this strike?!? By making a deal with the Golden Globes, we are giving the AMPTP exactly what they want — the ability to air a widely viewed awards show and pretend that all is well in Hollywood.
It made all the sense in the world to “shut the show” down, so to speak. Let the audience know what impact the writers can have on this business.
Wow- this is GREAT!
Thanks Dick Clark & Golden Globes folks!
A Writer
This is a smart move. And sorta hard to argue with — no matter what one might think of the awards themselves. It’ll be interesting to see how the Guild leadership responds.
And a couple sympathetic mentions from winners (including writers, of course) are probably worth more than snarky coverage of a picket line.
Sooo… is this good news or bad?
Am I the only one to whom these interim agreements make ZERO fucking sense? Letting the Golden Globes go forward with the Guild’s blessing allows the companies to have their cake and eat it, too. NBC gets its ratings bonanza, the other companies get a big glamorous shindig to drum up business for their product (allowing them to weather the strike even longer), and all the while, NO negotiations are underway, or even planned. If this is what our leaders call “bringing Jeff Zucker to his knees,” man, we are screwed worse than I thought.
The purported reasoning behind these deals — they pave the way for one of the congloms to ditch the AMPTP and negotiate a separate peace with the writers — does not pass the test of common sense.
And this is being spearheaded by the same leaders who refuse to drop reality and the no-strike clause in order to negotiate a deal on new media? As someone who negotiated a helluva lot of deals in my lawyering days, acting like the good-cop one minute and the bad-cop the next is a surefire way to get killed in a negotiation…
We MAY be hearing the GROAN of the floodgates as they begin to open. Maybe the A-listers should consider applying pressure to the studios and not the WGA because this seems like more positive news.
And the floodgates of inconsequential deal proposals open.
There is no way that a deal with HFPA/DCP makes a bigger statement than stars staying home from the Globes.
This is CLEARLY a bad idea that the WGA has previously declined to support.
The WGA already reversed itself on individual deals in December. The WGA general counsel stated that it wasn’t the WGA’s intent to make hundreds of independent deals. Then, the WGA decides to pursue exactly that – TWO WEEKS LATER.
The HFPA needs a Globes show a heck of a lot more than the WGA needs a deal with it and DCP.
At this point, I’m looking forward to reinforcing the HFPA’s irrelevance.
This proposal has to be ignored – FOR MANY REASONS.
Say it with me: SETUP!
If the WGA enters into an interim agreement with DCP it will go down as one of the bone head moves by the guild. What is the downside to DCP? How many downloads do you think there are of the Golden Globes? What is the economic downside to DCP? NONE. So now CBS gets to play fresh Letterman and Ferguson shows with no real downside to Worldwide or CBS. NBC gets to telecast the Globes with no downside. And Hollywood gets to showcase all their talent and have a nice party.
I don’t have a dog in this race but the WGA executive board has been totally outplayed in the strike negotiations. I feel sorry for all those out of work writers.
Hmm, when will the press get it right. The term is CONTRACT not an interim agreement. Anyone who calls the WWP DEAL an interim agreement, should not get one. An interim agreement just covers the production company through the AMPTP’s stonewalling and gets them through the strike, stating that they will be willing to agree to what the AMPTP negotiates in the end. A CONTRACT, however, stipulates that the production company agrees to the terms that are on the table for re-use and other issues that are currently still under negotiation with the AMPTP. A CONTRACT shows that the production company is willing to agree to the current terms.
An interim agreement or a waiver hurts the negotiating position of the WGA. A CONTRACT agreeing to CURRENT TERMS, however, does not.
Frustrated Bystander,
I hate to break it to you but the WWP deal…
IS AN INTERIM AGREEMENT!!!
Before you attack people for calling it what it is, you might want to check the facts! It has already been confirmed by all sides that the deal stipulates that any master agreement reached with the AMPTP will supercede the current deal with the WGA and WWP. That by definition makes it an “interim” agreement.
I love the Golden Globes, but I won’t be watching if the strike is not resolved.
I love scripted TV shows, even though they keep getting cancelled. I’ll be getting a lot more accomplished this winter, given the abundance of “reality” BS on TV this season.
Am I the only one who thinks this letter is crap? Who really cares about the lame award shows anyway? It is just an excuse for the hollywood queens to get dressed up and feel all wonderful about the positive impact they are making in the world today! I say NO to the interum agreement!
Maybe the WGA should stop being selfish. Award ceremonies like these are REWARDING THEM as well. THey reward everyone in the industry, its a chance to step back from working and take notice of important works from the year. Are they not proud of the work they have created? Do they not desire to have their work recognized? Obviously not, they would rather be selfish and ruin it for everyone.
This would be a chance for the industry to put the GG in their place. The public may not realize it but most of the industry considers the HFPA to be a huge joke. Many members are barely even working press and they tend to give awards to those who shmooz the most. Then why does the industry kowtow to them? Because they have become part of the promotional process. They’ve now become well known enough that they can be put into the ads and they are seen as a prelude to an Oscar. Wouldn’t it be a shame if they got taken down a notch or two? I’m sure many in the industry wouldn’t mind. Maybe if HFPA would turn into a serious organization of respected critics then their GG awards would actually mean something and stop being a laughingstock within the business.
I am definitely on the writer’s side and agree that they deserve everything they are asking for, however, I am selfishly hoping for an agreement because I have red carpet bleacher seats to the GG’s (which are non-refundable) and it kills me to think I’m paying all that money to look at an empty red carpet!! PLEASE give the writer’s what they want ASAP!!!!!!
The party will go on without TV – the way it used to. Who cares if it’s televised? Stars won’t have to cross picket lines, all is right with the world – except for all those grips and art department people, who are struggling. No one mentions them much.