As the Hollywood writers’ strike threatens to disrupt the 50th annual Grammy telecast, some in the music industry are befuddled, frustrated and even resentful.
The Writers Guild of America, which went on strike two months ago, has said it was unlikely to grant the Recording Academy a waiver to allow writers to work on the Feb. 10 show, the music industry’s most important event, set to be broadcast live on CBS from Los Angeles.
While Recording Academy President Neil Portnow has insisted that a full-scale Grammys will continue no matter what — and Beyonce and the Foo Fighters announced they still plan to perform at the event — some musicians may sit out the broadcast in solidarity with writers, especially top-level musical superstars who also are actors, such as nominees Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys.
I feel torn, because I’m a writer. I feel like I’m caught in the middle. … I don’t know how to feel.”
Jill Scott
[ Singer-songwriter who is nominated for three Grammys ]Whatever the case, we should respect the writers. I’ve never met a musician who gave a damn about the Grammys, actually.”
Tom Petty
The overriding initial reaction is ‘I don’t even understand what this has to do with the music industry.’ That really is the bottom line, because the reality is that over 700 hundred union members work on this particular show, [and] two of them are writers.”
Neil Portnow
[ Recording Academy president ]
