The Golden Globe awards will be bestowed in 2008, but not at a champagne-fueled primetime gala. Due to the strike by the Writers Guild of America, the awards will now be handed out during a press conference carried live on NBC.
Attorneys for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had been in negotiations since Dec. 29 to save its annual gala, but gave up Monday on its attempts to craft a deal that would mollify writers, since actors vowed to honor the WGA picket line and shun the ceremony.
“We are all very disappointed that our tradition awards ceremony will not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favorite stars celebrating 2007’s outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television,” Jorge Camara, president of the HFPA, said in a prepared statement. He added that this year’s award recipients will be announced on Jan. 13, the date originally scheduled for the awards ceremony.
NBC, which had rights to broadcast the awards ceremony, will now cover the awards announcement as part of its Sunday news telecast.
The cancellation eliminates a marquee event for such cable networks as E! Entertainment Television and TV Guide Channel. The networks bank on red carpet arrivals coverage to boost ad sales.
