LOS ANGELES — Producers of Hollywood’s annual self-congratulation rites have more to fear this year than boring, drawn-out acceptance speeches.
Picket lines could block the red carpet. Fiery, pro-union talk could spew from the podium. Hosts and presenters could unravel without the benefit of a polished script.
Or the most frightening, if unlikely, prospect: Nobody shows up.
While awards shows would hardly be the most sympathetic casualty of the writer’s strike, now in its sixth week, they’d be perhaps the most visible. Studios depend on the season’s buzz to boost the box office for specialty films, actors ride recognition into ever-bigger roles, and a whole industry thrives on the ancillary parties and preparations for ceremonies such as the Oscars and Golden Globes.
So far, it appears the shows will go on. After the Golden Globe Awards nominations were announced this week, actors talked not of turning their backs on the show, but of appearing with pen-and-paper ribbons to signify their support for the Writers Guild of America. Several nominated writers, though conflicted, said they’d plan to be there for the Jan. 13 ceremony.
“A lot of people are suffering and the strike needs to end,” said Aaron Sorkin, nominated for the “Charlie Wilson’s War” screenplay. “But we’ll find a way to have a good time.”
No one knows yet whether striking writers will decide to target entrances to the Globes, Oscars or Grammys. If they do, attendance will undoubtedly plummet.
“What do you do? I am a WGA member and it would be very hard to cross a picket line. I really wouldn’t do it,” said David Cronenberg, director of the Globes-nominated “Eastern Promises.” “It’s a depressing situation.”
So far, the only major awards show to get the WGA go-ahead is the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 27. That green light came in the form of a waiver allowing guild writers to pen narration, produce skits and on-stage banter for the ceremony, guild spokesman Gregg Mitchell said.
“It’s not about the personal choice of our members to participate in the show, to attend the show or to cross picket lines,” Mitchell said. “We leave that to our members.”
Still, many in Hollywood interpret waivers as tantamount to the guild giving its blessing to an event. Mitchell said no decision had yet been made about whether to grant waivers to the Globes or Oscars ceremony, scheduled for Feb. 24.
It’s unclear whether the guild has been in discussions with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Globes have actively sought a waiver or agreement with the WGA.
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