It's a new year, but so much for resolution.
Just hours after producers of the upcoming Golden Globe Awards said Wednesday they were working to hammer out a deal to keep the Jan. 13 show on track, the guild announced it didn't have any intention of budging on its decision to withhold a waiver.
"Dick Clark Productions is a struck company. As previously announced, the Writers Guild will be picketing the Golden Globes," the WGA said in a blunt statement responding to news of the latest round of negotiations.
"The WGA has great respect and admiration for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, but we are engaged in a crucial struggle that will protect our income and intellectual property rights for generations to come. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring industry negotiations to a fair conclusion. In the meantime, we are grateful for the ongoing support of the Hollywood talent community.”
The union's current position more or less echoes the one it took last month when the Globe nominations were announced. Soon after, the WGA rejected a waiver request from the HFPA to allow scribes to contribute quips to the ceremony. The union also shot down the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which had submitted its standard application for permission to use old film clips and tape from past Oscar ceremonies during the Feb. 24 broadcast.
The writers are allowing otherwise-striking scribblers to contribute to the Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirit Awards.
In a lengthy statement earlier Wednesday, HFPA president Jorge Camara had said talks between his group and the WGA resumed Saturday, a day after David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, announced it had agreed on terms that would allow the late-night host to return to the air tonight with his writing staff intact.
"We are pleased that the WGA has made interim agreements available for independent production companies," Camara said in a statement. "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.
"Much like the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Film Independent's Spirit Awards, we want to enter into an agreement with the WGA that will allow the entertainment industry to celebrate the outstanding work of creative individuals in addition to millions of fans nationwide," he said. "It is only fair that we be afforded the same opportunity as these other awards shows."
This latest blow to what in more upbeat times would be a much-hyped, glamorous precursor to next month's 80th Annual Academy Awards comes just as the Globes' organizers were looking to gain momentum for a show that could be considerably lacking in the star-power department.
NBC confirmed just this week that the prime-time telecast would, indeed, go on as scheduled. Whether there's a red carpet, swag bags or even a celebratory mood remains to be seen.
SAG president Alan Rosenberg said in a statement Wednesday that they will hold a meeting with actor nominees later in the week to discuss Globe protocol, but it's doubtful that conciliation will be a part of the plan.
"Unless and until there is an agreement between the WGA and HFPA, we will advise our members of their rights with respect to not crossing WGA picket lines and/or not appearing on programs using non-union writers," Rosenberg said.