Golden Globes Ceremony, Parties, Wedding Cancelled
The Writers Guild strike has meant a lot of scripted shows we love (The Office), hate (anything involving the hour-long investigation of a crime scene), or don't care about (Psych? Do people watch Psych? Who?) have been taken off the air. But the more dire consequence has been that the content void has filled with a horrible glut of reality TV and starkly-lit game shows. It's taught us an important lesson about television writing: writers are desperately needed, not to entertain us, but to stop televised karaoke tournaments from entertaining us.
But wouldn't it all be worth it if three days a week of deals and non-deals meant that the most heinous of all pseudo-realities--an awards show--could be stopped? I believe so.
And thus, it has been done. Last night, the Hollywood Foreign Press announced that the typical five-hour spectacle of back slapping, stilted conversation, musical numbers, and applause-filled obituaries will be replaced by an hour-long news conference. No celebrities. No after-parties. No Bruce Vilanch-fueled comedy. It's amazing.
Even without a contract, this must be an even bigger victory than the WGA could have hoped for. Or at least it is for my Grandma, who just can't stay up until 12:30 for the news.
Globes ceremony, parties cancelled [Variety]