Wednesday, January 23, 2008
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Striking writers guild have decided against picketing the upcoming Grammy Awards, but the Writers Guild of America’s board of directors has yet to grant the music industry show a waiver that would allow its members to work on the ceremony, the guild said Tuesday.
The guild previously said it was unlikely to grant the Recording Academy a waiver for the Feb. 10 show, the music industry’s most important event, set to be broadcast live on CBS from Los Angeles.
The writers guild refused to grant a waiver for the Golden Globes and threatened picketing, and the Screen Actors Guild encouraged its stars to stay away as well.
As a result, the typically lavish three-hour televised awards extravaganza was reduced to a one-hour, celebrity-free newscast on Jan. 13.
Recording Academy President Neil Portnow has insisted that a full-scale Grammys will continue no matter what — and Beyoncé and the Foo Fighters announced they still plan to perform at the event.