Associated Press

SAG Actors Will Not Cross Golden Globes Picket Line

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (January 4, 2008) – The possibility of a star-studded night at the Golden Globe Awards is looking dim.

Access has learned that members of the Screen Actors Guild will not be attending the Globes, if they follow the recommendation of their union.

“After considerable outreach to Golden Globe actor nominees and their representatives over the past several weeks, there appears to be unanimous agreement that these actors will not cross WGA picket lines to appear on the Golden Globe Awards as acceptors or presenters. We applaud our members for this remarkable show of solidarity for striking Writers Guild of America writers,” Alan Rosenberg, Screen Actors Guild President, said in a statement to Access.

The WGA quickly responded to SAG’s news releasing a statement thanking them for their support.

“We are grateful to our brothers and sisters in SAG for their continued solidarity and support. The entire awards show season is being put in jeopardy by the intransigence of a few big media corporations. We urge the conglomerates to return to the bargaining table they abandoned and negotiate a fair and reasonable deal with writers to put this town back to work,” WGA West President, Patric Verrone said in a statement.

Meanwhile, SAG is also speaking out about the growing controversy surrounding actors appearing on the recently returned late-night talk shows.

“We have also been asked about our position regarding network talk shows. We urge our members to appear on the two programs that have independent agreements with the WGA, The ‘ Late Show with David Letterman ‘ and ‘ Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. ‘ However, actors who are asked to appear on the struck network talk shows will have to cross WGA picket lines, creating the same situation that has led to the consensus among actors to skip the Golden Globes,” Rosenberg said.

SAG’s latest move could possibly foreshadow a SAG strike this summer. The actor’s union contract expires June 30.

“As I have said since this strike began on November 5th,we must stand united with our brothers and sisters at the WGA,” Rosenberg added .

Following the statement from SAG, Jorge Camara, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association responded.

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been placed in an extremely difficult position with the ongoing Writers Guild strike. We are making every effort to work out a solution that will permit the Golden Globes to take place with the creative community present to participate,” Camara said in a statement released to Access. “We hope to announce a resolution to this unfortunate predicament on Monday.”