The WGA has now become the victim of its own strike. Just yesterday the Writers Guild announced the nominations for Outstanding Achievement In Writing For The Screen for 2008 (Writers Guild Awards Screen Nominations For 2008 Announced). At the time I mentioned how ironic it would be if the strike forced them to call of the awards show. I guess irony is alive and well.
The Writers Guild of America West announced yesterday evening that they will be calling off the awards show that was scheduled for Feb. 9 in Los Angeles - unless the strike ends by then. The winners will still be announced but there will be no lavish ceremony or party to go along with it. And virtually no one is predicting the strike will end by that date.
The WGA East hasn’t yet decided whether or not it will still have the awards ceremony but most people expect they will follow the West’s lead and cancel as well. Their ceremony is currently scheduled to take place at the Hudson Theater at the Broadway Millenium Hotel in New York. “We are exploring our options and we will let you know when we have made a decision,â€Â? said WGA East rep Sherry Goldman.
The WGA Awards are seen as an important precursor to the Academy Awards. WGA winners are usually the frontrunners to win an Oscar. In fact, WGA winners have matched Oscar winners in the original category eight times in the last 13 years and nine times in the last 13 years in the adapted screenplay category.
