Grammy Awards seek interim agreement with WGA

After days of speculation as to whether the show will indeed go on, we still don't have a definitive answer, but the Grammy Awards look one step closer to finding resolution in the face of potential picketing by the on-strike Writers Guild of America. Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy, today announced that the organization has requested an interim agreement from the WGA for the Feb. 10 telecast and that preparations "remain in full-swing." Should that agreement happen, it would mean that high-profile actor-musicians like Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and Jack White would be able to attend the show without fear of crossing picket lines.

Citing the Recording Academy's longstanding support of unions and musicians' rights, Portnow also declared a would-be coalition with AFTRA and AFM. "The Academy is pleased and gratified that AFTRA and AFM, the two unions that have long been the only ones with jurisdiction and representation of the musical talent on the show, stand alongside us in our efforts to present the 50th Annual Grammy Awards at a level that millions of music fans around the world expect and deserve," Portnow said in the statement, adding that he "remains hopeful that there will be a quick and positive response" by the WGA to "fully support the offer of the producer, Cossette Productions, to immediately execute an interim agreement under the same terms as those arrangements signed by the WGA with David Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants (airing on the same network as the Grammy telecast) as well as other companies."

As for those wondering whether all the hoopla surrounding the 50th anniversary of the Grammys, including a variety of events and the annual Musicares benefit will continue as planned, rest assured that the parties will rage on as long as a deal goes through. Said Portnow: "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, unparalleled in our history. This year, more than ever, Grammy Week and the milestone of a 50th Grammy Awards, along with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Recording Academy, are a centerpiece and beacon of hope, optimism, and represent literally multi-millions of dollars in sales, promotion, and marketing for our musicians and as such, take on far more significance than simply three and one-half hours of television programming."