[IMG:L]What if Hollywood threw a party and nobody came–not even Paris Hilton?
That seems to be the scenario that will play out for the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards now that the Screen Actors Guild has indicated that, in support of Hollywood’s striking writers, none of its members–including over 70 SAG actors who are nominated this year–are expected to show up at the ceremony planned for Sunday, Jan. 13 to either collect or present trophies.
“After considerable outreach to Golden Globe actor nominees and their representatives over the past several weeks, there appears to be unanimous agreement that these actors will not cross WGA picket lines to appear on the Golden Globe Awards as acceptors or presenters,” SAG president Alan Rosenberg said in a statement released Friday afternoon. “We applaud our members for this remarkable show of solidarity for striking Writers Guild of America writers.”
[IMG:R]The move means that some of the biggest acting names in the entertainment industry–George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts and Steve Carell are among the current crop of nominees–will skip the usually star-studded ceremony that traditionally kicks off the annual round of Hollywood awards ceremonies.
The actors are supporting the Writers Guild of America’s ongoing, two-month-old strike against the film studios and networks which has shut down a wealth of film and television production. Among the key issues facing the writers is profit-sharing from such new media as DVDs and Internet downloads. Hollywood actors will also be negotiating over similar issues later this year, as will the industry’s directors.
Although the Hollywood Foreign Press Association–the group of less than 100 journalists representing media outlets outside the U.S. which throws the Golden Globes gala and selects the winners–has been assiduously pursuing a special dispensation with the WGA to allow the ceremony to take place and air on NBC, but no agreement could be struck.
The actors’ union said previously that the choice to attend or not was a personal one that its members would make for themselves, but this reversal may cause the entire ceremony to be canceled. Other high-profile awards like February’s Academy Awards, may also be snubbed by actors if the writers’ strike continues.
[IMG:L]However, the HFPA is still holding out hope that the Globes will go on. “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been placed in an extremely difficult position with the ongoing Writers Guild strike,” said HFPA president Jorge Camara in a statement Friday. “We are making every effort to work out a solution that will permit the Golden Globes to take place with the creative community present to participate. We hope to announce a resolution to this unfortunate predicament on Monday.”
“If you go to the Golden Globes or go to the Oscars it only helps your career, so it is a real sacrifice not to show up,” SAG president Rosenberg told Hollywood.com in early December. “I wish we had a fair deal so we could end this strike and the shows could go on, but the cause is right and I’m really proud of the Writers Guild and what they are doing. I think is heroic and I anticipate a lot of the actors will not be crossing the picket line when it comes to award shows.”
