The Writers Guild of America (WGA) on Monday denied requests to
allow their members to write for the Oscars and the Golden
Globes.
The WGA's move was seen as part of the union's effort to sustain
pressure on studios to return to the bargaining table and hammer
out a new contract to replace the one that expired at midnight Oct.
31.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had asked the
guild for permission to use clips from movies and past awards
programs that could be shown during the Oscars on ABC in
February.
In a letter Monday to the academy, the WGA denied the academy's
request, saying it opposed the use of clips from movies and past
awards programs that could be shown during the Oscars award show in
February.
Meanwhile on Monday, the guild released a separate letter
rejecting the request from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,
which awards the Golden Globes.
In the letter, Patric M. Verrone, president of the WGA, said
that granting a waiver "would not advance" the guild's ongoing
battle with studios to negotiate a new contract.
"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," Verrone wrote in the letter.
"Our board concluded, reluctantly, that granting a waiver for
the Academy Awards would not advance that goal," Verrone said.
People close to the guild's board said the union also had
decided not to grant any waiver that would allow writers to work on
the awards show, although the academy has not yet asked for such a
waiver.
In a statement, the Globe organization expressed measured
unhappiness.
"The Golden Globe Awards, which has a long and friendly
relationship with the Writers Guild of America, is obviously
disappointed that the WGA denied its request for a waiver," the
group said.
But it said it was "encouraged by the fact that the WGA has
announced that it plans to negotiate agreements with independent
production companies" and would attempt to reach a deal for the
upcoming Globe ceremony.
Negotiations between striking Hollywood writers and producers
broke off on Dec. 7 over the WGA's demand to extend union
jurisdiction over so-called unscripted series and animated
programs. The strike began on Nov. 5 over a dispute focusing on
residual payments to writers for work distributed via the Internet,
video iPods, cellphones and other new media.
(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2007)