Music can conquer all. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced on Tuesday that they would withhold picket lines from next month’s Grammy Awards. This decision capsized WGA’s last week reports that agreeing to spare the Grammys was “unlikely.”
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Music can conquer all. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced on Tuesday that they would withhold picket lines from next month’s Grammy Awards. This decision capsized WGA’s last week reports that agreeing to spare the Grammys was “unlikely.”
It was speculated that if the WGA had decided to picket this year’s ceremonies, the Screen Actors Guild of America (SAG), WGA’s sister union for TV and movie performers, would have as well, thus dampening the caliber of stars who would likely attend.
According to Writers Guild leaders, the decision was made in support of two other unions that represent musical performers-American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists-who had asked the WGA last week to agree to the strike waiver given to them by Grammy producers.
“We are gratified that the 50th annual Grammy Awards will focus solely on the great music, artists and charitable work resulting from our show,” said president and CEO of the Recording Academy Neil Portnow in a statement.
Celebrities will now be able to attend the year’s highest music honors without the fear of crossing picket lines.
“We look forward to unveiling the exciting lineup of artists who will give our worldwide audience one of the most memorable Grammy shows ever,” said Portnow.
The ceremonies, scheduled to take place February 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, have a number of A-List celebrity nominations, including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and Alicia Keys, all are also members of SAG.
Kanye West leads this year’s pack with eight nominations, followed by Amy Winehouse with six nods. Other nominees include Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Timbaland, and Justin Timberlake. Click herefor a complete list of nominees.
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