RACHEL JOHNSON
Staff Writer
Normally January signifies the beginning of awards season. It is a time for actors and musicians to pick out the most fantastic outfits, attend the most extravagant parties and hopefully win a few prestigious accolades in the meantime.
Not this year — thanks to a strike by the Writer’s Guild of America, a collaboration or labor union that represents television, radio and film writers. The strike, which began in November, is against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
The strike has not only affected sitcom scripts and actors’ auditions, but it has made a huge impact on the awards shows as well. The writers are the people who compose the script for presenters to read while conducting the awards ceremonies. Without a script, the show cannot go on. But it must.
Those who are striking may have legitimate grievances. Many are suffering financially, far more than many of the actors. Ultimately, though, the strike needs to end. A compromise should be reached so that writers can be rewarded financially and writers can be recognized publicly.
It is sad to be unable to watch new installments of “The Office” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” It’s annoying to get really into a season of a new show such as “Pushing Daisies” and have to be cut off in the middle of the season because nothing new can be written. What’s worse, though, is that actors’ and musicians’ talents are going unrecognized because the award show is slowly turning into less exciting, entertaining events and more into routine press conferences.
This is exactly what happened last Sunday. The Golden Globe Awards, which provide accolades for movies and TV programs, were cancelled. Instead, there was a press conference held at a hotel in Hollywood where journalists convened to hear recipients’ names being read off by an emcee. The program was telecast on NBC. Few celebrities were in attendance and the whole thing was essentially a flop.
This is so frustrating to the actors who rely on the writers to make their talent known on screens across the country. They have worked hard to earn the recognition that so many of them deserve.
Actors should be afforded the opportunity to receive their prizes in front of an audience, thereby giving them the chance to bask in artistic reflection and praise.
Many actors are actually in alliance with the writers. They won’t go to auditions or continue filming because they refuse to cross picket lines. Some were even boycotting the Golden Globe Awards. But others remain quiet, concerned over whether or not to appease the writers or the fans.
Eighty-six journalists based in Hollywood vote upon the Golden Globes, most of whom are affiliated with overseas publications and programs. The eligibility period for program submission and voting begins Oct. 1 every year, giving the journalists a significant amount of time to research the productions and make educated decisions to determine winners.
The “judges,” then, are recognizing truly good works of film. The Golden Globes, like many other awards shows like the Academy Awards and the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, are an attempt to highlight the talents of skilled actors and actresses. Not allowing them the recognition they deserve is comparable to devaluing the art they portray. The writers are needed to create the art but the actors are needed to transform it.
The strike is putting television and movie production to a halt as we know it. Clearly, some movies and TV shows, specifically in this reality/pop-culture obsessed generation, lack substance and intelligent plot lines. But the shows and films honored in the Golden Globes are truly pieces of art. Actors who honor their craft by performing well in a production deserve to be rewarded or the art as we know it could very well, if totally unappreciated, just disappear.
It’s time for some compromise so we can finally get back to our favorite sitcoms and so actors can receive the accolades they have earned.
01-17-2008
