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The writers will be allowed to work for the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards due next month.
Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America
West, announced at a news conference held on Tuesday at the headquarters of the
guild in Los Angeles,
that the board voted for an interim agreement in order to let writers work for
the awards. He also said that there would be no picket lines, the New York
Times reports.
Verrone added that they hadn’t reached a decision regarding
the Grammys and reminded that the waiver for the Academy Awards due February 24
wasn’t approved.
He explained why this move was made saying that the N.A.A.C.P.
should be treated in another way due to the fact that is an organization committed
to social change.
On Tuesday the organizers of the Grammy Awards started
campaigning for their show due February 10.
A statement was released by The American Federation of
Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists,
represented by 70,000 entertainers, in which they’ve asked for a waiver from
the WGA, thus showing their support for the producers of the show.
The statement read: “AFM and AFTRA strongly urge all of our
members to support the important work of the Recording Academy
by participating in the Grammy events,” Los Angeles Times informs.
According to people close to negotiations, the WGA will rather
come to a decision next week.
Neil Portnow, president and chief executive of the academy,
wanted to point out that the Grammys are different than the awards granted for
film and television and that they should be set apart from the dispute between
writers and studios.
He said in a statement:
"Grammy Week represents the most significant worldwide music event
of the year. And we are in a different industry than the motion picture and
television business; I am quite certain that most are aware of the extremely
difficult and challenging conditions facing our industry's creators and companies."
Still some of the Grammy nominees do have memberships in the
Screen Actors Guild due to the fact that
they are acting.
The Grammys have more impact than the Globes. Is attended by
15,000 people at Staples
Center and it gathers
people from the music industry from around the globe.
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