Strike Silences Golden Globes Venue

"No Angelina, No Clooney."

The Associated Press reported Sunday the mood of the Golden Globes news conference in Los Angeles. The hotel ballroom that was to have hosted famous nominees cheek-to-cheek at cozy tables was instead given to TV camera crews and reporters. Outside the hotel, it was unusually quiet.

The awards ceremony was replaced by a news conference due to an actors` boycott. Actors stayed away to support the three-month strike by members of the Writers Guild of America.

○ The Academy Awards

Now the focus is on if the Academy Awards scheduled for February 24 will open.

Entertainment Weekly said New York’s Madison Avenue, the heart of the U.S. advertising industry, is where this issue grabs sharp attention. The Oscars charge the most expensive rates for television commercials after the Super Bowl. ABC last year earned 1.5 million dollars for each 30-second commercial broadcast during the ceremony.

Variety magazine estimated that the cancellation of the Golden Globes resulted in losses of 80 million dollars (75 billion won) to the Los Angeles economy, and predicted additional damage of 130 million dollars (120 billion won) if the Academy Awards go down the same path.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis said preparation for the Oscars is underway as planned. Yet the striking writers made it clear that they will not write a script for the awards this year.

Nevertheless, Variety said film industry figures expect that given its name value worldwide, the academy will not be the same.

○ Guild membership reaches 10,500

The guild has 10,500 members, including writers of films and TV dramas and shows. Their strike has virtually paralyzed the U.S. entertainment industry.

The union has demanded since November last year a fair distribution of the proceeds from DVD, online drama and movie sales. Writers receive 2.5 percent of TV series and DVD sales, the same share they received 20 years ago, but get nothing from sales through new media such as the Internet.

The Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild expect to renew their contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers by June 30, but are siding with the writers.

The strike has damaged the Los Angeles economy to the tune of 450 million dollars (420 billion won) in losses.

○ The Korean film Industry

How about the Korean film industry?

“It is customary, absurd as it is, that writers sign a contract with the production company depriving writers of their right to claim copyright after they receive payment for their work,” said a representative of the Korea Screenwriters Association. “While American writers are demanding a ‘plus alpha,’ Korea doesn’t even have a writers’ guild.”

Screenwriters in Korea also get nothing when their works are sold overseas.