Writers Strike vs. The Oscars

Its awards season; it's the time of year when actors, actresses, writers, directors, producers and the like all join together to celebrate the past years greatest entertainment achievements. First come the Golden Globes, then the Oscars, then the Emmy's the SAG's the People's Choice and so on. There's almost too many to count. A few weeks ago, The Golden Globes, what should have been a huge red carpet event, was cancelled. Why? The writers strike of course. Next up are The Oscars. The show is scheduled for Sunday February 24, 2008, but will it air?

As awards season continues, and as preparations are made for the next upcoming event, many are wondering if the writers strike will affect The Oscars like it did the Golden Globes and in addition, if the cancellation of this next awards show will or will not benefit the writers strike. Here's a look at a few reasons both why and why not the cancellation of the Academy Awards will affect the writers strike.

Wills:

Jon Stewart

The strikers do have at least one vote in their favor: Jon Stewart. Comedian Jon Stewart was invited back to host The Oscars again this year, if the show actually goes on it'll be his second time in as many years. However, Stewart has been a big voice among those striking, he's been a huge advocate of the strike since its inception, so its unlikely that he will host this event if the strike is still going on.

There is little doubt that Stewart will choose hosting the show over advocating the strike, but it still puts him in a bit of a predicament. He probably wouldn't be writing for the show, he'd simply be hosting, so if the show goes on in spite of the writers strike, what will he do? Him choosing not to host the show and agreeing with its cancellation can benefit the writers strike because he is such a big voice for the writer's guild.

Exposure

The first and one of the most important reasons why the cancellation of The Oscars will affect the writers strike is the simple fact that it'll be another reminder to the American and Foreign public that this strike is still on. Its kind of like the War in Iraq in a way. We all sit on our comfy couches and watch our favorite movies and TV shows, we convince ourselves that re-runs give us the opportunity to discover that great new cable show that everyone's been talking about, we kind of forget that there are talented individuals fighting for their jobs and their livelihoods.

Then all of the sudden we hear about a road-side bomb that killed American soldiers and we're reminded that our country is fighting a war. (wait I'm intermixing these issues aren't I.) Regardless, cancelling these awards shows is a roadside bomb in a way; it reminds us that there are things happening in Hollywood that effect movie and television entertainment. And while we aren't really seeing the consequences of this strike all that much now, in the future, if it continues, we'll realize just how important writers are to the entertainment industry.

The Awards Next Year

You'll have to tell me if this is an effect on the writers strike or the writers themselves because I can't really decide. The reason this awards show might not air is because writers need to write it right? Those droning snippets of useless chatter between awards is written by writers, and have you ever realized that many times, the people who write, direct and produce awards shows will win awards for writing, directing and producing awards shows? Asinine right, write, Wright? Whatev...

With the writers on strike, there's no one to write the shows. And with the writers on strike, many writers are missing out on golden opportunities here, they could be making a name for themselves but instead they're home making chicken pot pie. As writers continue to see all of their opportunities pass them by, maybe they'll start to realize they need to freshen up on their negotiation skills.

The Awards Next Year Part Deux

If they don't have the awards this year and everyone still receives their awards in a timely fashion via FedEx, then why have the awards next year? Why give writers the opportunity to write for all of these extra curricular activities? They complain enough about not getting enough as it is. As these awards shows continue to get cancelled, the big wigs will realize that maybe they don't need to have them, and that maybe the writers are asking for too much, and they'll be forced to continue negotiations because they won't want to settle. Yeah I thought it was a long shot too...but it is food for thought.

Will Not's

Who Cares?

Do you care about The Oscars? Do you care about any awards shows? Do you live and die by the winner of the best supporting actor in a comedy category? Yeah me neither. Obviously much of the American public couldn't give two hoots about who wins these shows. All they really do is make us feel more miserable about our own lives; all these people getting paid millions of dollars to do their jobs and then they get awards on top of it. How about an award for the best (enter job title here) at (enter your place of work here) award? I'd sure like to win me one of those.

So anyway, if we don't care about the shows, why would the companies who employ the writers care about the shows? There aren't really any valid reasons (above and beyond the initial reasons for the strike) that these shows would change the way anyone feels about the situation. Everyone will still win their awards; there just won't be a ridiculously long ceremony to watch. I actually kind of like it that way!

The Show Must Go On

We've all heard it, along with 'where there's a will, there's a way'. Hire writer scabs and get on with it. Take a cue from Jay Leno (personally I think his show is better now that he's writing it himself). Writing is only one part of an awards show. We already have the nominees and the presenters, all we need are a few things for them to say, how hard can that be right? If the writers and writer/actors and writer/directors and writer/whatever else you may multi-task at, don't want to show up than that's their prerogative. If they happen to win, then so be it. The less acceptance speeches the better is what I say!

But in all seriousness, and I'm going to use my war analogy here again so bare with me. During WWII (more than WWI), when the men left home to go to war, they left a lot of jobs behind that women weren't all that familiar with, but the country depended on them to take over those jobs so that we could continue to survive. I know there are other writers out there (pick me pick me!!) who could do the job just as well, or even better than those on strike. Why not fire all the strikers and wipe the slate clean. Start from scratch. Because honestly, those people who wrote the Caveman show really don't deserve even more money, I'm sorry, but they don't. So if the show gets cancelled, it may be a win for the strike, but as far as effecting it, I think if its gone on this long, some alternative options need to be sought out.

So those are just a few reasons why the cancellation of the Oscars may or may not affect the writers strike. As the strike continues, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out and how many changes in Hollywood will continue to be made because of the strikers.