How Badly Will The Strike Affect The Golden Globes?

The Golden Globes are less than two weeks away and as the writers strike is still underway, it’s likely that the Hollywood Foreign Press is worried that this year’s award ceremony is going to be a total bust. Not only is there the obvious issue of not having anyone to write the jokes for the host and presenters, but there’s also the strong possibility that a number of celebrities and industry people will opt not to attend the event in an effort to show their support for the writers.

All hope for the event isn’t lost though. Today, the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press, Jorge Camara issued a statement saying that as of last Saturday (12/29), their attorneys were in discussions with the WGA to work out a similar deal to the one made between the guild and Worldwide Pants, which has allowed WGA writers to go back to work on The Late Show with David Letterman. Camara sounded very optimistic when he said, “We are pleased that the WGA has made interim agreements available for independent production companies. The process established by the WGA permits writers to get back to work, grants the WGA the rights it is seeking on behalf of all writers, and allows certain shows to move forward.”

Unfortunately for the Hollywood Foreign Press (and we, the viewers of what could end up being the most dull/awkward Golden Globes ceremony ever) WGA East president Michael Winship didn’t sound nearly as optimistic about the deal, saying “there have been some informal conversations but really nothing more than that.” Winship went on to say that there were still plans to picket the Golden Globes and he believes this might encourage some of the nominees to skip the event and stay home.

If a deal is going to be made, it will have to happen fast. The writers would only have about a week and a half to come up with some witty banter for the presenters to toss around prior to handing out awards.