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Globes canceled; new format on tap

By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer 11 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - The Hollywood Foreign Press Association said Monday that the traditional Golden Globe Awards ceremony has been canceled and will be replaced with a news conference format.

"We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony will not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favorite stars celebrating 2007's outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television," said Jorge Camara, president of The Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

"We take some comfort, however, in knowing that this year's Golden Globe Award recipients will be announced on the date originally scheduled," he said.

The show had been set to air on Sunday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Golden Globes and NBC were on the verge Monday of scrapping the traditional show format, which would be picketed by striking writers, in favor of a news-conference approach, a person close to the awards broadcast said Monday.

Faced with a threat by actors to boycott the ceremony rather than cross picket lines, organizers were forced to look at other approaches that would preserve the star power of the unofficial kickoff to the Hollywood awards season.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which owns the Globes, was trying to reach an agreement on a revamped format with NBC, which was to air the Jan. 13 ceremony.

Instead of the traditional show featuring a boozy, glitzy dinner party and awards presentation, the event would be covered as a news event in a series of NBC specials, according to a Los Angeles Times report that cited an NBC memo e-mailed to movie studios.

Proposed coverage would include a "Dateline NBC" program with clips and interviews with nominees, a news conference announcing the award winners, and then a show covering Globe parties, the memo said. NBC was also in talks with dick clark productions, which produces the ceremony, for an hourlong Globes retrospective.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been grappling with how to present the awards since the Writers Guild of America rebuffed its efforts to reach an interim deal for the ceremony, similar to the one the guild granted David Letterman's show.

On Friday, the Screen Actors Guild said that it appeared that all the nominated actors would refuse to cross picket lines, a stance reinforced in a letter sent by publicists representing the stars.

With the show stripped of the star power of nominees such as Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington, it was unclear how big an audience it would attract for NBC and its advertisers.

A large Golden Globe Award statue is pictured during a news conference announcing the Golden Globe Award nominations in Beverly Hills, California December 14, 2006. The sponsor of the Golden Globe film and television awards said on Wednesday it has begun talks with TV writers aimed at allowing its honors to be broadcast as planned despite the ongoing screenwriters strike. (Fred Prouser/Reuters)

Xbox69

"This is where I tell you that . . . I'm Chris Hansen with 'Dateline NBC' and we're doing interviews with this year's Golden Globe nominees. . . . Why don't you take a seat right there."

devilshalo

Anybody have the Nielsen ratings for the Globes and for the Oscars going back ... 10 years?

nateman

-"I'm Chris Hansen with 'Dateline NBC' and we're doing interviews with this year's Golden Globe nominees. . . . Why don't you take a seat right there."



-"I promised that I wouldn't cross the picket lines! [Runs off, then gets nabbed by the WGA]

cupcake jesus

This guy'd better watch his back if he shows up:



The possibility of a Hansen/Polanski interview is enough to get me watching.

cheers,

-the Jesus

Gizmo

I now have 0 sympathy for the WGA. 0.

cdollaz

I wish they would cancel all of the other lame-ass awards shows. This is a good start.

Seantn

Why? They're still giving out the awards. It's just not going to be all ass kissy to the stars like usual. Is it really that big of a deal to you?

hardercore

The more drastic the action, the quicker the writers get paid and we get our shows (LOST!) back. If this means cancelling the Oscars too, then cancel the fucking Oscars. I just want to know who wins, not who's wearing what, etc, so I could care less that the Globes are now just a one hour press conference.

Sorraffy

I agree with that. It seems like around this time each year there is at least one awards show per week

clemente

Because they cancelled the Golden Globes? Shit, I thank the writers. They should go on strike for a day every year. I'm convinced the only real people who really care about the Globes are chicks who want to see how everyone is dressed.

Gizmo

I couldn't care less about the awards. The fact that the WGA is being whiny little bitches about everything pisses me off. They won't let the actors who work there ass off all year get a few seconds of joy because they want more money? Shame on them.

WallyOPD

They don't have any direct control over the actors.

Heat

They are trying to hold the awards ceremonies hostage. The loss of the Golden Globes is no big deal to me, I never watched them.

Personally, I'm suprised the rank and file writers are still supporting the strike, they are just suckers for the A-list writers - you know, the ones who aren't affected by lack of a paycheck right now and the ones who have the most $$$ to make if the DVD writer's tax actually goes through.

chris_sc77

I hate that this will negatively effect many good deserving films that would have benefited greatly from exposure in the full show (Film Clips, The stars showing up etc.).

There Will Be Blood, Across the Universe, Sweeney Todd and others will end up getting fucked because of the WGA. ANd I hate them for this (And oh so many other things they have done in the past 2 months) soooo much.

Gizmo

Yes they do. The actors are afraid to cross the lines and piss off the writers and get bad press. C'mon, we have been seeing this for the past 8 weeks, its not like this is news to anyone.

The WGA needs to settle otherwise all these writers will be homeless.

cracksky

The 70 or so members of SAG (that were to be a part of the show) are in complete solidarity with the WGA and have refused to cross the picket lines thus the show will not go on as usual.

I have complete and total respect for them in doing so, unlike their Late-night scab counterparts.

dork

I had to double-check that you really did write "actors" and not "chimney sweeps".

rfduncan

Huh? "A few seconds of joy"? Is that really what attending a Golden Globes ceremony is all about?

Dude, you really need to step away from this subject. It is just a stupid awards show. And again, these "few seconds of joy" were brought to most of these actors courtesy of a writer. Without writers, most of them are just beautiful bubbleheads.

Ronnie Dobbs

I don't think I've ever watched a Golden Globe awards show. I couldn't even tell you whats been nominated.

Charlie Goose

It's bad news for lesser stars, like the girl from Hairspray for instance. She's never been nominated, and it's a big possibility that the movie will be her career highlight. It might seem silly and needlessly extravagant to those who aren't in the entertainment industry, but I'd bet it's important to many who are. They've now been robbed of what could've been a career-defining moment.

raven56706

^^^^ agreed

Giles

5 million dollars in advertising revenue for NBC down the drain... oh well.

Giles

well she already sealed a death knell blow by starring in a Lifetime movie.

nateman

That's just a usual loss at NBC.