Skip to Content

Hard Ball and the Award Shows

I miss the Golden Globes. The fans miss seeing their favorite stars win awards for their favorite movies and tv shows. The Writers' Guild Awards have also been downgraded to a news event. All the writers who were nominated deserve their moment in the spotlight. And the Academy Awards... That's threatened too. Added to all the economic difficulties created by the strike, why not just let the

Similar entries
  • The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) issued the following statement regarding the Golden Globe Awards today. So despite rumors to the contrary, it certainly does look like the Globes will be held behind a picket line.
    Personally, I am still voting for the black tie pickets, and coverage on the Internet of anyone who choses to join us. Of course, since the Internet is so new-fangled and

  • Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) President Patric M. Verrone has issued the following statement in response to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) statement that actors will not cross WGA picket lines to appear on the Golden Globe Awards as acceptors or presenters:

    We are grateful to our brothers and sisters in SAG for their continued solidarity and support.

    The entire awards show season is

  • Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg announced today:

    "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. We applaud our members for this remarkable show of solidarity for

  • The following letter was sent today from some of the most powerful publicity firms in entertainment to Jeff Zucker of NBC. Thank you, everyone, for supporting us in our struggle to get a fair deal.

    Dear Jeff,

    We represent a majority of the actors, writers and directors nominated for a 2008 Golden Globe Award, as well as many of those invited to appear as presenters on the January 13, 2008

  • Strike TV is an Internet fundraiser. It's an online "channel" featuring original video shows created by working professionals in the TV and Film Industry. These shows are self-funded and owned by their creators. Funds raised by ad revenue will go toward the Writers Guild Foundation Industry Support Fund, assisting union directors, actors and below the line members who are affected by the strike.

  • The first Book Awards challenge is coming to a close and the second one will be starting soon. The rules are slightly different this time. From August 1, 2008 - June 1, 2009 I need to read 10 books that represent 5 different awards (in other words, they can't all be from the same award) This list can be made as we go and changed at any time. I'll post some tentative reads after I give it some thought.

  • Rachael Ray wrote on her blog about her participation in the 2007 DogCatemy Awards. This sounds like one heck on an event. It is hosted by North Shore Animal League America, "the world's largest no-kill animal shelter."

  • On January 14 the American Library Association is set to announce their prestigious 2008 awards for children's literature--the Newbery Award for authors and the Caldecott Award for illustrators, the primary American awards for achievment in children's and young adult literature.

  • The gentlemen at Hardwood Paroxysm polled a very wide range of bloggers and established a series of really cool awards. (Basketbawful got a nod in the "Coach Blogger of the Year" category.) Go check it out to see a list of some of the coolest NBA-related blogs out there.

  • The WGA has created a TAKE ACTION page. Send a message to Peter Chernin (FOX's CEO) urging him to come back to the negotiating table.

    "As a television fan, I urge you to return to the negotiating table with the Writers Guild of America to settle this strike. I want to see new episodes of my favorite programs and this is not possible without the writers."

    And, FireDogLake.com has a new petition

  • FireDogLake has launched a web site that makes it click-through-easy for a fan to email the studios behind their favorite shows.

    Other sites joining FireDogLake in the campaign are Daily Kos (4,050,000 hits/week), Raw Story (2,833,500), Crooks and Liars (1,850,000), AlterNet (1,500,000), and Democratic Underground (1,500,000). Carried on all those sites, almost 12,000,000 visitors/week will have the opportunity to click and send a complaint to the studio of their favorite show.

  • This week's special category for Tuesday Night Trivia at Professor Thom's will be Grammy Awards Trivia, and we will also have the usual four other categories to go with it. It will be all about past winners of the music business' highest awards.

    There will be something a little different with the category however. The first eight questions will be multiple choice questions, but there will also be a True or False question as well as a "multiple answers" question in it as well.

    This week's Sneak Peek question is:
    What immortal literary character was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs?

    We had a huge crowd for Trivia last Tuesday, and that was so great to see. We should get going around 9 PM, and I hope to see many of you then.

  • Below is an op-ed piece from Wednesday's Los Angeles Times.

    Stopping the cash flow will strengthen the writers' case, not cutting deals.

    January 9, 2008

    We get the impression, in this third month of the Hollywood writers strike, that morale on the picket lines and in the coffee shops isn't so hot. That's odd, given how strong the writers are looking right now.

    With the downfall of the Golden

  • United Hollywood extends its congratulations to all the winners of last night's SAG Awards and thanks all those who supported the WGA during their remarks.

    - Read the official SAG press release about last night's ceremony.
    - Coverage from the New York Times and from David Carr, aka "The Carpetbagger."
    - A photo gallery from the LA Times.

    And don't forget to stop by the SAG/WGA Unity rally at

  • This was sent out today by the WGA:

    LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK – The membership of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) today voted overwhelmingly in favor of lifting the restraining order and ending their 100-day strike that began on Nov. 5. 3,775 writers turned out in Los Angeles and New York to cast ballots or fax in proxies, with 92.5% voting

  • (From fans4writers.com:)

    Fans should gather at Universal Studios beginning at 11:00 AM. We have a customizable picket sign (pdf) you can use. Mingle with other fans, wave your signs, experience the thumbs-up and honking car horns of passing drivers.

    Then, when the time comes, head to NBC Burbank, where many striking writers will be headed, in time for a larger strike rally to be visited by presidential candidate John Edwards beginning at 1:45 PM.

    This is a relatively last-minute event, so spread the word far and wide. And keep an eye out here for future developments, because preliminary discussions are underway for a much larger Fan Day event to show the Companies just how much fans support the writers have.

  • Lots of good stuff to share.

    - Patrick Goldstein of the LA Times is a sharp and skeptical columnist. He took a few shots at writers before the strike began. But in his most recent column, he argues that the companies are dead wrong to use fear of a digital future as an excuse not to cut in content creators. "If the studios really believe they can't share a sliver of profits with the people who create what they sell, they'll be the losers. If you don't believe in the future, you shouldn't be in show business."As Patrick writes, entertainment is a business built on optimism. Writers believe in the future. CEOs only seem to when investors are listening. Which is it going to be, guys?

  • This coming Sunday night will be the 80th Academy Awards from Hollywood. So, to honor the biggest night in the movie industry, we will be having a special round of Academy Awards Trivia, to go along with the regular four categories we normally do.

    The first nine questions in Oscar Trivia will be multiple choice, but the last question will be a special five-point version. It will be a tough one, and of course, it won't be multiple choice.

    We continue to have some big crowds in for Trivia Night, and last week's bad weather certainly didn't scare many of the regulars away. I appreciate the dedication many of you have shown to our Trivia Nights.

    This week's Sneak Peek question is:
    A torn rotator cuff is an injury to what part of the body?

    I hope to see many of you on Tuesday night. Brush up on your movie trivia!

  • Hollywood Homecoming, an event honoring the veteran writers, directors and stars of yesteryear who helped form and shape the unions we are fighting to protect, will be held this Friday, November 30th, from 10AM-12PM at Sony Studios in Culver City.

    But your help is needed getting the word out and locating those trailblazers of Hollywood's Golden Age.

    So who do you know? Is Shirley Temple your next door neighbor? Do you go to church with Esther Williams? Are you related to Mickey Rooney? Do you live next door to an Academy Award winning director from years past? Was your grandfather one of the writers on "The Wizard of Oz?" Did your great aunt work as the assistant to David O. Selznick? Does your family have a long history in the biz?

    Help locate these guests and join us to pay tribute to them.

  • This was submitted by WGA member Christopher Trumbo, member for 40 years, and son of WGA member Dalton Trumbo. His insights into the history of the guild are especially valuable now, as the strike continues and the AMPTP tries to divide us.

  • United Hollywood Live (12pm Pacific/3pm Eastern) today will discuss the non-granting of waivers to awards shows like the Oscars and Golden Globes, the WGA meeting in Santa Monica Monday night and the City Council meeting this morning among other topics.

    Tune in by CLICKING HERE (or by using the widget located along the right hand side of UnitedHollywood.com). The show, which airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday, is also available as a podcast immediately after each broadcast via the widget and on iTunes (search: United Hollywood).

    Fans and WGA supporters are encouraged to become a part of the broadcast via live IM chats, video feeds and phone calls to the studio. They can also add the United Hollywood Live widget to their websites.

  • We're told that the long strike of 1988 had two far-reaching consequences: the audience discovered cable and reality shows grew in popularity.

    What will be the legacy of the 2007 strike?

    Hard to say. The negotiations are still ongoing. But one fact is abundantly clear even at this point.

    Writers love the internet.

    Given that the AMPTP was trying to control the internet, there is something ironic about the way writers have taken to the web as the place to try out ideas or vent or be funny about issues that can seem simultaneously enraging and arcane, like the DVD formula with its string of percentages: 1.5% (or 1.8%) of 20% of the studio’s gross on DVD sales.

    By various accounts, after only a few weeks, striking writers and their supporters have put between 750 and 1,000 videos on YouTube.

  • This press release was sent out by Strike TV. Interested in competing? Let them know! -JA

    Writers to Shoot Over 30 Episodes of 4 Game Shows in Less Than 12 Hours

    Los Angeles, CA (2/5/2008) - Some talk shows and game shows shoot five episodes in a day. Some might even try to shoot six or seven. But Sunday, February 10, will be a day like no other when writer/producer Rick Rosner and director/

  • LOS ANGELES – The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have issued the following statement regarding Contract 2007 negotiations:

    “The Writers Guild has reached a binding independent agreement today with Worldwide Pants that will allow Late Night with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to return to the air with their full

  • This was submitted by WGA member Michael Seitzman, who is currently blogging on Huffington Post as well.

    I read news today of Writers Guild member John Ridley's decision to go Financial-Core to protest the Writers Guild strike. I was angry and dismayed and my original post on the issue was full of that vitriol. I thought an edit was in order so as not to let the message to get lost in a war of

  • I hope everyone has started back on the path to "normalcy". I, for one, was happy to see writers embraced on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. And both shows were the better for being written by their writing staffs.

    When the strike started we heard a lot of talk about writers writing specs during the strike. But I actually don't know anyone who wrote a script during the past 3 months. Some

  • It's that time of the year again when Major League Baseball hands out its annual awards. On Monday, the first two awards will be announced, and that is the AL and NL Rookie of the Year awards.
    Here are my choices for the awards and the days they will be announced:

    Nov. 12: AL Rookie of the Year: Dustin Pedroia
    NL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Braun

  • Today, an actor in one of my all-time favorite comedies died. Harvey Korman, who made his name on "The Carol Burnett Show" in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 81, after suffering from an aneurysm many months ago.

    But he will be fondly remembered for his tremendous role as the evil Hedley Lamarr in the classic Mel Brooks comedy, "Blazing Saddles." It is one of the best comedy films of all time (in my humble opinion). Whenever anyone called him "Hedy Lamarr," he'd get indignant and exclaim, "No, that's Hedley!!" (The actress Hedy Lamarr actually sued Mel Brooks over the reference, and it was later settled out of court.)

    One of my favorite Hedley lines from the film:
    "You will be risking your lives, whilst I will be risking an almost-certain Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor. "

  • MONDAY DECEMBER 17th:

  • STRIKER’S STUDIO WALK-A-THON: A 7 mile walk beginning at Disney’s main gate at 9:00 am. For more information, please contact Josh Singer at jsinger10@gmail.com
  • DAYTIME UNITED: The writers of Daytime Dramas, Telenovelas, and Internet Serials are hosting a special picket event on Monday, December 17th, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at CBS Television City, on the Fairfax side. This will coincide with a similar event in Manhattan, organized by WGAE. With the enthusiastic support of AFTRA, the actors from our favorite Daytime Dramas -- plus directors, staff and crew -- will join the picket line in solidarity with the writers. For more information, please contact Karen Harris (poainc@sbcglobal.net) or Sara Bibel (sarab@earthlink.net )
  • The LA Times carried the story this morning of the "debate" staged by striking WGA writers, held for the benefit of politicians in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. The writers came to educate and inform D.C., in the way that only these guys can.

    A small excerpt:

    On one side, in shirts, was the striking Writers Guild of America, played by "Daily Show" writers Rob Kutner, Tim