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URGENT! The denials were announced tonight at the big WGA West membership meeting taking place right now at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. 
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association had requested a waiver for its NBC broadcast, but the WGA rejected it. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences had asked for a waiver to use clips from movies and past Academy Award shows which the WGA rejected. I'm told that once AMPAS asks to use WGA writers, that will be denied, too. For days alreadyt, emails have been circulating inside the major Hollywood talent agencies discussing what the actors and directors and even writers should do about attending since WGA picket lines will be erected outside the events. (See my previous, Golden Globes Screwed By Writers Strike?)
TUESDAY AM UPDATE: The following statement was released today by Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers spokesman Jesse Hiestand:
In the category of Worst Supporting Union, the nominee is the WGA. The union, which initiated this strike, continues day in and day out to make good on its commitment to, in the words of a leading WGA organizer, "wreak havoc," even though those being hurt include WGA's own working writers, the below-the-line workers and their families, the broader Los Angeles region - and now the creative artists who deserve to be honored for their work over the last year."
PREVIOUS: At the start of the meeting, WGAW president Patric Verrone introduced chief negotiators John Bowman and Dave Young as well as SAG prez Alan Rosenberg to the crowd of striking scribes who gave all four men a standing ovation. The venue was 2/3s filled. "A lot of resolve at this meeting. It was a very good meeting," one WGA attendee told me. "The maybe 12 dissenters who showed up were quickly shown where they stood by the resounding cheers and applause all through the meeting for the board and negotiating committee."
7:29 PM: The WGA West and East just made this statement:
"The Writers Guild has notified the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and dick clark productions that their requests for an agreement to allow writers to prepare material for the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards show have been denied.
The Guild has 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 for use during the annual Academy Awards presentation.
In letters to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, WGAW President Patric M. Verrone described the Guild’s respect and admiration for both organizations, explaining that:
“Writers are engaged in a crucial struggle to achieve a collective bargaining agreement that will protect their compensation and intellectual property rights now and in the future. We must do everything we can to bring our negotiations to a swift and fair conclusion for the benefit of writers and all those who are being harmed by the companies’ failure to engage in serious negotiations.”
The signatories producing the Golden Globes and the Oscars are West Coast signatories. The WGAW’s Board of Directors concluded, reluctantly, that granting exceptions for the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards would not advance that goal."
8:30 PM: The meet has concluded. Here's other news from it:
No negotiations are scheduled.
The networks are going to start givebacks to advertisers.
On Wednesday at 7:30 AM, the Los Angeles City Council will hold a hearing about the writers strike's economic impact and the AMPTP and WGA will both testify.
Starting in January, the WGA will commence STRIKETV.com, where clips of video material will be put up and advertiser support sought.
SAG prez Alan Rosenberg spoke and reiterated the actors' support. "We stand behind. We're with you."
Dave Young gave a long speech the subject of which was that the WGA is ready to negotiate and AMPTP is not.
John Bowman stressed that the AMPTP can make "a separate peace" with the DGA but if the deal isn't acceptable to the WGA then the strike continues.
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Good!
Fantastic!
Good to see some people aren’t making a mockery of this strike (like Letterman).
Guess I can look forward to not seeing Jon Stewart’s 10,000 writers piling up onstage to accept their award like clockwork.
Awesome news! Stay strong… I’m so glad the WGA is still strong, still fighting and UNITED!
Good
I’m in the auditorium right now. Patric just gave a shout out to Nikki.
Beautiful.
Yes! Good move. I love the Golden Globes and the Oscars, but this has a bigger scope.
Minimize reality TV viewing, if you still want quality shows with imaginative storylines.
P.S. Hey. Where is Joss Whedon on TV?
YEAH!
Put that in your Craptaculars and smoke ‘em, AMPTP!
WGA FO-EV-AH!
This is going to really start to affect the shareholders of the corporations. When the Oscars are canceled – and if the stars don’t come, they will be pretty hollow, it’s going to be very hard for the studios/networks to keep claiming “It’s all just part of the show, folks, all part of the show.”
Oh, and fuck Jay Leno.
Talk about leverage! Way to go WGA! Eat that AMPTP!
Good decision. Time to turn the pressure up…
Does this mean we won’t be seeing a clever song parody of There Will Be Blood?
Wow, I didn’t realize that the Oscars can’t even show *clips* without a waiver.
Was quite a meeting tonight. I enjoyed watching that first ‘no disrespect’ questioner and his handful of supporters get drowned out by the massive cheers supporting the board.
Keep it up people…
Keep it up! Make the miserable bastards at the networks realize that without you, they are nothing. Unless they adapt to the new media, their venue will be as outdated and antiquated as the stagecoach was when automobiles came to town. The new media should be an empowering medium for writers, not another way that they get boxed in. And while you’re at it, seriously consider putting the “DVD issue” back on the table. They failed to follow through in good-faith after you made a costly concession. It is only reasonable that this is back for negotiation. Unless the network powers-that-be truly realize, appreciate, and compensate the writers who create the content they monetize so well, the playing field will be unlevel. Don’t let them divide you — stay strong!
That’s playing rough. I wonder whether the threat of an Oscars boycott is enough to press ABC-Disney into a separate peace. That would be cool, because if ABC concedes we get Pushing Daisies back too. Seriously though, congratulations on the decision to play rough.
And advertiser givebacks? Wow! That hits them where it counts.
It was great to see, tonight, that the WGA is as unified as ever.
Isn’t Jon Stewart supposed to host the Oscars? Any word on whether he’s still going ahead with it?
I hate to say this, but the Oscars might actually be better without Bruce Vilanch’s unbearable banter.
I’m glad for this place. The comments at United Hollywood are a madhouse. Keep telling me this is good news guys. I believe it, but I need to hear from you all. Good luck!
The AMPTP walked away from the table TWICE. And when they were there, they didn’t negotiate in good faith.
If any actor crosses the picket line to help these jackals, they derve to have tomatoes thrown at them.
Kudos to the WGA! Hit them where it hurts every way and everywhere you can.
Hit em’ where it hurts guys!! This is great news. Stay strong WGA. Your fight is backed by Jedi warriors.
A lot of people expected there to be dissension and shouting matches, but the opposite was true: the Guild stands united and our negotiating team came off as level-headed and professional. It was a nice counter-balance to the lies and slander that the AMPTP’s professional fearmongers have been spreading. Bravo WGA! I’m proud to be a member and look forward to a time when the AMPTP cares more about the business than about their egos. Come on, Les, don’t take it from behind from Fox: sign a deal!
Sure, F Jay, but F Conan too. Don’t give him a free ride. Remember, Jay at least hit the pickets. Conan was MIA in New York.
Now for the class action lawsuit against the studios for cooking the books and stealing decades worth of net profits.
StrikeTV.com
As of 17/12/07 , i came, i saw, i lmfao
PC
If someone organizes an Oscar and/or Golden Globes party for nominees and other Hollywood elite (producers as well) who feel uncomfortable crossing picket lines, give it an A-List comic host (Ferrell? Stiller? Colbert?), and stream interviews and speeches live online, it would take about two seconds to get the entire event (webcast included) underwritten by advertisers looking to place their products in, on, and around a celebrity crowd. With a little grassroots promotion, it would draw millions of viewers, allow the nominees to have their deserved moment in the sun, and thrust strike issues into the national spotlight. Could be a win-win for everyone. Well, almost everyone…
Just a thought.
working writer: One can only hope. Nothing would end this strike faster than the threat of actual legal accountability, instead of relying on the fiction we’ve collectively bought into for decades.
The AMPTP walked away from the negotiating table expecting the writers guild just give into their six ultimatums so what else was there to be expected? Free cable for all?
Now is the time that we all understand what a strike really is… uncomfortable for Awards shows too. And who doesn’t like dressing up for a night on the town with your best girl.
STRIKE ON!!!!
Already discussing an alternate site for a simulcast for the Golden Globes and for nominated actors to be able to accept their awards.
Stay strong, WGA!
I walked away from tonight’s WGA meeting feeling even more secure in our team. They were confident, honest and from twenty rows back you can look at David Young’s piercing, steely eyes and know this is a guy that you really don’t want to fu*k with.
I like that they were candid and didn’t shout out any bullshit, like they’ve got it all figured out. They just let us know that they are already aware of most of our concerns and issues and are doing everything they can to get the AMPTP monkeys back into a room. They admitted to not being perfect but still, they’re steadfast and determined to get this settled.
They are considering all tactics to get things going forward but never without careful scrutiny by or 30 plus members of our negotiating team. Nothing they’re doing is random or scatter-shot.
I think they got the sense that we, the members were even more united because of the obvious lies and lame PR tactics the AMPTP tried to shove in our faces.
I also left there feeling like this is going to be a long haul but well worth the fight.
Most importantly, if we don’t stay strong we’re going to end up with a bad deal. The PR from the AMPTP will continue their effort to soften us — We need to stay strong!
AMPAS is an AMPTP member. It can always drop out and sign a deal with WGA independent of AMPTP. It has a choice. It doesn’t have to have a WGA picket at the telecast.
As far as the Golden Globes, anyone who claims that they are upset that show suffers anything is clearly a HFPA member.
No contract? NO WAIVER!
This is excellent, I sincerely admire the writers’ resolve here and it sounds like a lot was covered in this meeting.
I guess I’m a little confused, though…why would the Academy Awards people be asking the WGA for permission to use past clips? Isn’t stuff like that owned by the networks?
Hate to be the voice of dissent -but lets not forget what it was to be blacklisted and always allow for dissent and diversity in our group –
BUT – whatever network had the Oscars may be heaving a sigh of relief and just scrap it. There are after all the Oscar awards and then there’s the Oscar awards show and the ratings for that have been on the slide. Here on the east coast ithe show starts late and drags on and most of us have to be at work the next day. We just want to know who won what – we don’t need to see it in real time and listen to the awful speeches (boy could some of them use a writer!) – we go to the net the next morning. So while this may be an example of influence and solidarity I don’t think it hits the big boys – now, if we could block the SuperBowl – THAT would be something!
someone commented they read DHD before the reporter, variety, or la times
we just realized we stopped reading those other useless carriers of corporate propaganda a while ago – never even missed them!
they are dinosaurs, just like the studios and the ceo’s who run them
YES! Way to go WGA!
Fans would rather have their scripted shows back on the air and their production staffs employed again than watch some lavishy done fake awards show.
Stay strong! The general public’s got your six.
Yeah, screw those members with their respectful questions about the strategies our leaders pursue ro achieve our common goals — strategies which affect our livelihoods and our families!
Glad to see that free speech and accountability of our democratically elected leaders are both alive and well in “our” Writers Guild.
Great meeting tonight. Just want to add that it was said several times that a DGA contract would have to be acceptable to both the WGA and SAG. It was clear that the two unions are standing together. Alan Rosenberg said he expected that many actors wouldn’t cross picket lines, but there hadn’t been any formal discussion with SAG yet.
Do you really think they will not reach any kind of agreement for the Oscars?
Fine by me. I never watch these shows anyway. They’re way too long and have way too much fluff in them. I wonder how the academies will handle the awards for 2007 if they have to cancel the shows. Will the awards still be made and the statuettes mailed to the winners? Would they just postpone the broadcasts until after the strike ends (whenever that is)?
Or would 2007 simply be left out of the records and they’ll pick up whenever the strike is over?
Frankly, considering my backlog of recorded shows from the last two years you’re welcome to strike well into 2008. Maybe I’ll finally catch up! I hope at the end there is a deal everyone can live with and that not too many of the shows on the bubble get cancelled in the meantime. Best wishes.
Anonymous @ 10:27pm
Your idea for web-streaming a series of Golden Globes house parties is a brilliant thought – what an unprecedented opportunity to get celeb attention. Whether or not it would bring in advertisers doesn’t matter as much as it being a perfect David-Slays-Goliath story. I would bet IFC or Sundance could assist you in coordinating, and could cross-promote.
“The networks are going to start givebacks to advertisers.”
Speaking of advertisers…Reading this just made me flash on something regarding Jay and Conan coming back without writers.
Tonight Show = Monologue + Bits + Sketches
Late Night w/Conan = Monologue + Bits + Sketches
Subtract the Bits and the Sketches, and you have a third of a product. If I were an advertiser, I’d say, “I’ll give ya a third of the rate because you’re giving me a third of a show.”
Has anyone heard – are any agencies or advertisers doing this?
Actually, if I were an advertiser, I might even consider holding out completely.
“I want to buy The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Whatever this thing is that’s coming back on January 2nd may have Jay Leno in it, but it ain’t the Tonight Show. Call me when you get The Tonight Show back on the air.”
OMFG if I heard of only *one* advertiser doing this it would be sweeeeet!!!
jay showed up at the picket line every day. dave, conan were never seen. what does that tell you?
Do you all really expect the AMPTP to negotiate with the WGA after they filed a lawsuit against them? Grow up!
Note that the primetime cash givebacks the networks are offering advertisers are not due to the strike, but due to shows which underperformed in the ratings since the start of the season, almost all of which were not strike affected through November.
Congratulations on the Award WGA! YOUR leadership understands that a union’s job is to fight for your members’ rights. What union worth existing would ever get the little gold star and AMPTP’s title of “best union”? It seems like the sort of patronizing gesture the moguls intend to do for little Tommy Short. It probably goes with a nice pat on the head too.
I think the WGA should accompany their announcements with their prediction of the bullshit response the AMPTP will come out with and beat them to the punchline.
we certainly can make a fun game here by seeing who can best mimic their bs responses.
- writer
Seriously, I’d be totally fine with a single press release stating the winners. Shows are boring. Full of unnecessary filler. Let the nominess sit in the auditorium without cameras and give each other awards. It so does not matter…
“Roy”
The give-backs by the networks to the advertisers is a yearly event, but usually the networks renegotiate instead of giving all of the money back. They would pay it forward into the next season using high-profile shows as leverage. This year they tried using “American Gladiator,” and “The New Password,” etc as their chess pieces, advertisers said, “No way!”
jay showed up at the picket line every day. dave, conan were never seen. what does that tell you?
That Jay’s greedy, spinless betrayal and scabbing are sanctified by the Almighty? That Jay’s even more pathetic than everyone thought, thinking handing out a pizza will protect him from criticism when he rushes to debase himself and betray all of us, all for the benefit of the guys who fired him and to make sure he doesn’t have to start dipping into his 20 years of saved TS salary when his comic gig fund runs out?
There was no attempt whatsoever to silence dissent at the meeting last night. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The most critical commenter at the Q&A was over-indulged, despite the fact that he presented no evidence to support his criticism and just repeated the same statement over and over.
It went something like this:
Speaker: “The old saying goes, a man who represents himself has a fool for a client. Why are WGA members, who have such a personal stake in this fight, on the negotiation committee? I know I have a tendency to get emotional about issues that personally affect me. Why not hire a lawyer to represent us in that room?”
WGA board: Our guild constitution states that WGA members must be on the committee. Also, we do indeed have a professional staff, and here are some of their credentials…[facts about the legal and negotiating backgrounds of the non-member, professional hired staff].
Speaker: “But all I know is, I can get emotional sometimes, so maybe we should hire a representative to keep things non-emotional.”
WGA board: Explains again that the WGA actually is represented by a hired non-member negotiator in the room and has a professional support staff.
Speaker: “Because, a man who represents himself has a fool for a client, that’s what they say, you know.”
WGA board: “Thank you for your thoughts.”
Basically, this gadfly was spewing AMPTP talking points, and the WGA patitently answered them, and allowed him to repeat them over and over. A tiny handful of people clapped in support of his comments, and nobody present booed them or tried to shout them down. Everyone sat in respectful silence and listened to the attack on the WGA leadership.
Then, when a following speaker completely (and justifiably) ridiculed the gadfly, the place erupted in cheers several times, demonstrating that support for WGA leadership in that room was well over 90 percent.
Judging by their own behavior last night, the WGA membership clearly has no interest in silencing dissent. The AMPTP attempts to attack the competence of our negotiation team simply have gotten no traction within the WGA membership. The membership has sincerely listened to those attacks and determined they have no merit.
Our negotiation team is trying to get a fair deal. The AMPTP has determined they’d rather try to break our union than give us a fair deal. We’re standing strong, and we’re not blaming our leadership for our situation because we have no good reason to do so.
Anyone who thinks they won’t miss the Oscars telecast clearly isn’t at the parties I throw. By the time Best Pic is announced, we’re so in the bag it couldn’t possibly matter less.
The thing I’ll miss most is the requisite drunk chick moaning “Oh, I didn’t know she died, tha’s so saaaaaad!” during the memorial montage.
Good times.
If there’s no Golden Globes or Oscars, does that mean we don’t have to deal with the hundreds of annoying ego-fueled ads in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter asking for our consideration? Yay!
And without that ad revenue, maybe the trades will start being a bit more objective in their coverage? Yay!
A win-win!
We really should counter program that night. On the web if necessary or on independent stations. All the beautiful people and the funny ones as well will be at our event. And we give it to the world for free.
Good PR.
Yeah, you know that who-died-this-year? sequence? Some writer writes that. Just not a very funny writer.
That statement from the AMPTP is HILARIOUS! Bemoaning the loss to “the creative artists who deserve to be honored for their work over the last year.” Hey, AMPTP! Want to honor me for my work last year? How about writing me a check?
From New York Times Dec 18:
Guild Supports Comedians, Chides NBC
The guild said it has no plans to single out Jay Leno or Conan O’Brien for the kind of targeted protests aimed at another late-night NBC host, Carson Daly, when he returned weeks ago. “Jay and Conan have been supportive of us from the beginning, and we understand the pressure they’re under from NBC,” said WGA spokesman Jeff Hermanson.
Well, the good news is… even if these shows are cancelled it won’t affect Gavin Polone any. Unless they’ve added a new category… “Best Supporting AMPTP Creep”.
“jay showed up at the picket line every day. dave, conan were never seen. what does that tell you?”
That Jay’s head writer asked Jay to show up on the picket line – Jay did not show up of his own volition
Jay showing up on the picket line that first day gave him the chance to stick it to NBC who ironically is screwing him out of his show [after he screwed Letterman over when Carson passed the torch, and after he screwed WGA by returning in Jan.] Unfortunately, he hasn’t the spine to truly stick it to NBC and not scab come Jan.
Jay showed up the first day on the picket line when there were news cameras and it was a sexy event. Where’s he been now that the true grind, and the cold, has set in?
Conan has surprisingly turned out to be equally a turd.
Letterman at least has tried to be progressive in his actions and act as an example, returning as an indep. producer under wga terms
To: Steve S.
Pushing Daisies is a Warner Brothers’ production. If ABC and/or Disney settled with the WGA, you still wouldn’t get Pushing Daisies back on television. This is why the distinction between producer’s gross and distributor’s gross is so important.
HH
DEAR ACTOR,
Do not cross pickets. Helping the networks right now hurts your union, our union, all unions. Please do not guest on Jay or Conan or Kimmel when they return to air without their writers.
Jay Leno’s only guests should be Jeff Zucker and Jeff Immelt. And his only question should be, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Love,
A WRITER
“[The WGA strike is hurting] the creative artists who deserve to be honored for their work over the last year.”
So, how is it preventing them from being honored? No, seriously — no bullshit. AMPAS has every right to put on a lovely ceremony in the Kodak Theater on a Sunday night and present the victorious nominees with all the statues they want. The WGA only has a problem with it if they want to use WGA-written material and air it on TV, because there’s this little thing called a strike going on, just in case anyone forgot.
If AMPAS held the ceremony and didn’t televise it, everyone could still get their Oscars. The results would show up in the newspapers, on Entertainment Tonight, etc., just the same. So the “creative artists” wouldn’t be “honored” any less.
Oh, but what’s that you say, AMPTP? There’s no point in having the ceremony unless you can show it on TV and fill it with subtle promotions like “Here to present the award for Best Supporting Actor are the two stars of next year’s movie ______”, as well as lucrative 30-second commercial spots? Oh, yeah, I hear you. That would kinda suck for you guys. And… hmmm? Oh, gotcha. You don’t really give a shit about honoring anyone. Thanks for clearing that up.
Hey “Like the Oscars”, if this thing is (hopefully) resolved before the Oscars, can i PLEASE come to your party? It sounds tons better than any Oscar party I’ve ever been too (inlcuding going to the Governor’s Ball one year.)
Wish I had a job on Tonight Show to go back to. Very tiny Christmas for our team.
Re: The “nomination”, that “weak havok” thing is the best the AMPTP has to fall back on. Such is why they keep using it. Hopefully the denial will stop soon.
The Spirit Awards on IFC are happening, I hear, with a WGA interim agreement in place.
More people would watch the Oscars if they didn’t drag on for over four hours.
For those of us who live on the east coast, that kind of dragging on of time is ridiculous. Nix the endless montages (expect the in memorium), the host altogether (just have the presenters coming out), the songs being performed (it’s not a concert) and leave the red carpet interviews to E!
It’s nice to see the WGA using the awards programs for a political messages. In the past awards everyone booed when anyone gave a political speech. Where are you now. Let the awards stand as a tribute to those in our business. Perhaps it would be best to eliminate all written by categories in all and future awards show…as a political message, would that be right also.