WGA Unlikely to Grant Grammy Waiver

Posted on January 15, 2008

WGA spokesman Gregg Mitchell says the WGA has not decided whether or not to grant a waiver for the Grammys but if they are asked the answer will probably be "No." That would be consistent with the WGA's Golden Globes waiver denial.

"While no guild decision has yet been made regarding the Grammys, if a waiver is requested for the Grammys, it is unlikely to be granted," said WGA spokesman Gregg Mitchell.

The L.A. Times says the WGA has not made a decision on whether or not to picket the Grammys.

The Grammys are produced by John Cossette Productions in association with Ken Ehrlich Productions, and are written by Ehrlich and author/journalist David Wild. Mitchell says there's been no decision yet as to whether or not the WGA would picket the Grammys, which air on CBS. Mitchell notes that there have been "no discussions yet" with the production companies involved with the Recording Academy's awards show.

Entertainment Weekly says it is unclear how this will impact the Grammys. There are some actors and musician-actors who may decide not to cross picket lines and choose not to attend.

Since the Grammys honor musicians, not actors, it is unclear how much impact the WGA's decision will have on the show, though the dozen or so actors who typically present awards would not be involved. Last year, Quentin Tarantino, Luke Wilson, Nicolas Cage, Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock, and David Spade appeared on the show. This year's nominees also include a number of musicans who have appeared in movies or TV, among them Justin Timberlake, Queen Latifah, Tim McGraw, Beyonce, Jack White, Jon Bon Jovi, and Fantasia. Among the Grammy nominee musicians who have historically refused to cross a picket line are Bruce Springsteen, the Beastie Boys, Joni Mitchell, John Mellencamp, and Steve Earle. And, obviously, writers would not contribute to the ceremony's script, though compared to other awards shows, the Grammys are a performance-heavy event.

Musicians not involved with films may still decide to attend. It sounds like what we will see is a watered-down version of the Grammys. The Grammys are scheduled to air on February 10th at 8PM on CBS.