There go the Globes

Thanks to the ongoing, needlessly protracted Writers Guild of America strike (and thanks to sympathetic actors refusing to cross picket lines), the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has decided to cancel the usual Golden Globe Awards ceremonies, opting to go with a more low-key press conference where they will simply announce the winners (read the Yahoo News article here).

What a buzzkill this strike is turning out to be. TV series have had their seasons cut short, talk shows have gone on hiatus (although Leno, Letterman, et al have returned, some sans writers), awards ceremonies are being drastically revamped, and if this stretches on, movie productions with unfinished screenplays will have to shut down. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming the writers. With the kind of measly pay they're getting relative to the big bucks actors, directors and producers rake in, they have every right to be on strike. The people I'm peeved at are the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for being a bunch of stubborn, greedy asses who apparently won't give an inch during negotiations with the WGA. For crying out loud, the writers are only getting 4 cents in residuals from DVD sales, and all they're asking for is 4 more. We're talking about only EIGHT CENTS per DVD sold. And if the writers want a share of sales from online media, certainly they're entitled to it. No writers, no content to be uploaded or downloaded, ergo no extra money to be made. So I really don't see how the writers' demands can be unreasonable.

Given their greed, I'm surprised the producers haven't caved in negotiations yet. This strike has dragged on for over 3 months, and has cost them hundreds of millions in advertising income already. I wonder what the turning point will be, and which side will ultimately get its way. For now, the end is nowhere in sight, and with the Golden Globes now essentially nixed, the Oscars just might be the next to go.

The only consolation in all this is that we viewers won't have to be subjected to the ungainly sight of Rumer Willis as Miss Golden Globe. Who knew mixing Demi Moore and Bruce Willis' genes would result in... that?