SAG says actors won't do Globes

It's official: No actors will show up

By DAVE MCNARY

SAG president Alan Rosenberg has announced that not one of the more
than 70 actors nominated for a Golden Globe will attend the Jan. 13
ceremonies because of the WGA's plans to picket the event.

The Globes have been thrown into turmoil and uncertainty due to the
WGA's refusal to grant a strike waiver to struck Globes producer Dick
Clark Prods., which offered to accept the same terms as David
Letterman's Worldwide Pants banner. Instead, the guild has said it
will picket the Globes, skedded to air on NBC, which has become a
prime target of the WGA's strike campaign in the past few weeks.

Rosenberg, who made the announcement Friday afternoon, has been a
staunch supporter of the two-month strike.

"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," he
said. "We applaud our members for this remarkable show of solidarity
for striking Writers Guild of America writers."

In response, Dick Clark Prods. issued this statement: "Dick Clark
Productions has reached out to the WGA on numerous occasions, from
the very beginning of the WGA strike, and offered to enter into an
interim agreement similar to the agreement reached by Worldwide Pants
on behalf of the "Late Show with David Letterman" for the "Golden
Globe Awards" -- as well as all of our other programs. We are
disappointed that the WGA has refused to bargain with us in good
faith. It is apparent that we are being treated differently from
similarly situated production companies.

"Dick Clark Productions is an independent production company that is
not a member of the AMPTP and which has not authorized the AMPTP to
represent it in the 2007 WGA negotiations. We support the WGA in
their efforts on behalf of writers and hope that they will reconsider
their position with regard to negotiating an interim agreement with us."

On Friday, at a Los Angeles meeting with actors' reps, Rosenberg
passed along the WGA's wish that actors also not attend the Broadcast
Film Critics' Critics Choice Awards Monday night, even though the
event will not be picketed and will be broadcast by VH1. The event is
not under a union contract, so the WGA cannot officially call for a
boycott.

Earlier Friday, Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Jorge
Camara issued this statement: "The Hollywood Foreign Press
Association has been placed in an extremely difficult position with
the ongoing Writers Guild strike. 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."

WGA West president Patric Verrone also issued a response praising SAG
and blaming the mega-congloms for throwing the kudos season into
confusion.
"We are grateful to our brothers and sisters in SAG for their
continued solidarity and support," Verrone said. "The entire awards
show season is being put in jeopardy by the intransigence of a few
big media corporations. We urge the conglomerates to return to the
bargaining table they abandoned and negotiate a fair and reasonable
deal with writers to put this town back to work."

A group of top publicity firms echoed SAG's concerns in a letter to
NBC Universal president and CEO Jeff Zucker sent Friday afternoon.

"After much discussion with our clients, we have concluded the vast
majority of the talent we represent are not comfortable crossing a
picket line. Our clients are extremely grateful to the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association and would love the opportunity to be
recognized for their work, but will only do so in the event NBC/Dick
Clark Productions reaches an interim agreement with the WGA for the
Golden Globes."

Talks between the WGA and the AMPTP collapsed on Dec. 7 after the
majors insisted the guild remove six proposals from the table as a
condition of continued bargaining. No new talks have been set; the
Directors Guild of America may start their talks with the AMPTP soon.

Rosenberg also announced SAG is urging its members to appear on the
two Worldwide Pants shows that have waiver deals with the WGA --
"Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Late Show with Craig
Ferguson" -- but indicated they should avoid other shows. That would
include "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," although Rosenberg did not
specify any other show by name.

"Actors who are asked to appear on the struck network talk shows will
have to cross WGA picket lines, creating the same situation that has
led to the consensus among actors to skip the golden Globes,"
Rosenberg said. "As I have said since this strike began on November
5th, we must stand united with our brothers and sisters at the WGA."

http://www.variety.com/VR1117978475.html
Posted: Fri., Jan. 4, 2008, 3:34pm PT