Globes, Oscars stricken
By Tim Surette - TV.com
December 19, 2007 at 12:34:00 PM | more stories by this author

Writers guild says awards shows won't get their support or permission to use old clips; stars ponder attending.

This year's Golden Globes and Oscars could lack the luster usually attributed to the two awards shows, as the writers strike has forced some changes to the annual events.

On Monday, the Writers Guild of America denied standard requests from the producers of both shows, a move that could greatly affect how both are run, according to Bloomberg. Dick Clark Productions, which runs the Golden Globes, won't have the assistance of WGA writers to pen its presentations, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which handles the Academy Awards, does not have permission to use clips from old films, something normally used in the event's tributes.

More damaging to the shows was actually how the WGA will participate in the Golden Globes--they'll attend, but mostly on the sidewalk holding signs. The WGA told Variety that it plans to picket the Golden Globes, which could deter some stars from participating. The Screen Actors Guild has been very supportive of the WGA since the onset of the strike, and many stars feel that attending the awards show is crossing the picket line, both literally and figuratively.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the side on the other end of the strike, continued its attack on the union in the wake of the WGA's decisions.

"In the category of Worst Supporting Union, the nominee is the WGA," says a post on the organization's Web site. The post also accuses the WGA of hurting its own members, the city of Los Angeles, and "the creative artists who deserve to be honored for their work over the last year."

Without writers, the awards shows could be even more awkward than normal, with actors having no teleprompter jokes they typically stumble through. Producers of the show are also weary of vocal actors speaking out against the AMPTP and the studios when they're at the podium.

The Golden Globe Awards show takes place January 13. Whoever is in charge of censoring the telecast better be ready.

Writers guild says awards shows won't get their support or permission to use old clips

Letterman Makes Deal With Striking Writers
By BILL CARTER
Published: December 28, 2007

David Letterman has secured a deal with the striking Writers Guild of America that will allow him to resume his late-night show on CBS next Wednesday with his team of writers on board, executives of several late-night shows said today.

Most of television’s late-night shows are scheduled to return to the air that night after being off for two months due to the strike, but it is likely that only Mr. Letterman, and the show that follows him on CBS hosted by Craig Ferguson, will be supported by material from writers.

The reason is that Mr. Letterman’s company World Wide Pants, owns both those shows. The company announced two weeks ago that it was seeking a separate deal with the guild that would permit the two World Wide Pants show to return to the air. The talks seemed to be at an impasse until today when the deal was completed.

A spokesman for Mr. Letterman’s company declined to comment.

Beyond the obvious advantage of having writers to supply comedy material that other shows will not have, Mr. Letterman’s and Mr. Ferguson’s shows will likely gain a benefit by being able to book guests who will not appear on shows still being struck by the Writers Guild.

Representatives of some of the other late-night shows have reported difficulty booking some the top-name actors in Hollywood, who have indicated reluctance to appear on shows whose networks are still among the entities the writers are striking against.

Numerous big-budget movies have opened during the holiday season without having opportunities for their stars to promote them on the late-night shows as they normally would. The World Wide Pants shows may now be able to book many of those stars, some of whom may still resist appearing on the other shows, like NBC’s “Tonight” with Jay Leno and “Late Night” with Conan O’Brien, and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

All three of those shows are scheduled to return Wednesday without writers.

Here's the full letter from Verrone and Winship:

To Our Fellow Members,

We are writing to let you know that have reached a contract with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company that puts his show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson back on the air with Guild writers. This agreement is a positive step forward in our effort to reach an industry-wide contract. While we know that these deals put only a small number of writers back to work, three strategic imperatives have led us to conclude that this deal, and similar potential deals, are beneficial to our overall negotiating efforts.

First, the AMPTP has not yet been a productive avenue for an agreement. As a result, we are seeking deals with individual signatories. The Worldwide Pants deal is the first. We hope it will encourage other companies, especially large employers, to seek and reach agreements with us. Companies who have a WGA deal and Guild writers will have a clear advantage. Companies that do not will increasingly find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. Indeed, such a disadvantage could cost competing networks tens of millions in refunds to advertisers.

Second, this is a full and binding agreement. Worldwide Pants is agreeing to the full MBA, including the new media proposals we have been unable to make progress on at the big bargaining table. This demonstrates the integrity and affordability of our proposals. There are no shortcuts in this deal. Worldwide Pants has accepted the very same proposals that the Guild was prepared to present to the media conglomerates when they walked out of negotiations on December 7.

Finally, while our preference is an industry-wide deal, we will take partial steps if those will lead to the complete deal. We regret that all of us cannot yet return to work. We especially regret that other late night writers cannot return to work along with the Worldwide Pants employees. But the conclusion of your leadership is that getting some writers back to work under the Guild’s proposed terms speeds up the return to work of all writers.

Side-by-side with this agreement, and any others that we reach, are our ongoing strike strategies. In the case of late-night shows, our strike pressure will be intense and essential in directing political and SAG-member guests to Letterman and Ferguson rather than to struck talk shows. At this time, picket lines at venues such as NBC (both Burbank and Rockefeller Center), The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the Golden Globes are essential. Outreach to advertisers and investors will intensify in the days ahead and writers will continue to develop new media content itself to advance our position.

We must continue to push on all fronts to remind the conglomerates each and every day that we are committed to a fair deal for writers and the industry.

Best,
Michael Winship
President, Writers Guild of America, East

Patric M. Verrone

President, Writers Guild of America, West