WGA grants interim deal to Grammys

Could the conglomerates and the WGA be days away from announcing an agreement? No one knows what’s happening behind those closed doors, but the WGA certainly struck an optimistic note today by announcing that it has granted the Grammys an interim agreement for its Feb. 10 telecast. That means the Recording Academy can not only hire writers to help write the show but the musicfest can air on CBS without the threat of picketing, which could have kept some SAG card-carrying artists like Justin Timberlake from attending the show. WGA West president Patric Verrone released this statement: “Professional musicians face many of the same issues that we do concerning fair compensation for the use of their work in new media. In the interest of advancing our goal of achieving a fair contract, the WGAW Board felt that this decision should be made on behalf of our brothers and sisters in the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.”