Tuesday, December 18, 2007

GOLDEN GLOBES and WRITERS STRIKE also Soap Stars join picket line



Soap Stars have now joined the picket lines- see pictures at SteveBergman

The folowing taken directly from internet sources and I recommend that you visit their sites for full text and updates.
Partial text of latest from DeadlineHollywooddaily Make sure to visit that site for more information.
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?)

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.


The following is direct from Bloomberg.com

Striking TV Writers Deny Golden Globe, Academy Awards Waivers

By Juho Erkheikki

Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Striking U.S. television writers will not be allowed to write material for the 65th Golden Globe Awards show and the Academy Awards presentation won't be able to use clips as the union pushes studios to reach a wage agreement.

The Writers Guild of America denied requests by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Productions for the Golden Globe ceremonies and by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the presentation of Oscars, it said in an e-mailed statement dated Dec. 17.

``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,'' Patric M. Verrone, president of the union, said in the statement.

Writers, who walked off the job Nov. 5, have been unable to reach an agreement with the studios on the growing use of their work in digital media. Talks broke down for a second time on Dec. 7 after the studios rejected demands for higher pay for use of work on the Internet and a proposal to extend union jurisdiction to include animation and reality shows.

To contact the reporter on this story: Juho Erkheikki in Helsinki at jerkheikki@bloomberg.net

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