WGA Won't Award Waivers to Award Shows

Say that 10 times fast! Until they are handed their own prize - a new contract with the AMPTP - the WGA won't make it easy for awards shows to carry on, and has denied waivers that would allow scribes to scribble for the Jan. 13 Golden Globes and Feb. 24 Oscars. Independent producers, though, are holding out hope that they can hammer out isolated deals with the Guild. "The Golden Globe Awards, which has a long and friendly relationship with the Writers Guild of America, is obviously disappointed that the WGA denied its request for a waiver," says a statement from Dick Clark Productions to Variety. "However, we are encouraged by the fact that the WGA has announced that it plans to negotiate agreements with independent production companies."
Godspeed to all, because the inane banter between presenters doesn't write itself.
Update: The AMPTP has of course weighed in on this Tuesday headline, saying in a statement: "In the category of Worst Supporting Union, the nominee is the WGA. The union, which initiated this strike, continues day in and day out to make good on its commitment to, in the words of a leading WGA organizer, "wreak havoc," even though those being hurt include WGA's own working writers, the below-the-line workers and their families... and now the creative artists who deserve to be honored for their work."
More coverage in our Strike Watch blog:
" NBC's Writer-less Late-night Hosts Face Big Challenges
" SAG Backs WGA, Saying, "It's Time for the AMPTP to Return to the Table"
" AMPTP's Open Letter Calls WGA's Tactics "Unreasonable" and "Impractical"
Recommended reading:
" WGA Strike Primer: Understanding Misunderstanding (HuffingtonPost.com)