Hey, you are starting to SAG...

Prospects for a Grammy Awards broadcast this year are looking worse because of the ongoing writers' strike. Yesterday, the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced that they'd filed a formal request for a waiver with the Writers Guild, and the union again said yesterday that the request is unlikely to be granted. Still, ARAS President NEIL PORTNOW said the academy, quote, "remains hopeful that there will be a quick and positive response."

The Screen Actors Guild has said it probably won't cross the picket line should writers protest the Grammys. Several musicians are SAG members, meaning they'd likely honor the picket, while other musicians are likely to avoid crossing the picket out of sympathy for the writers' cause.

As of now, The Grammy Awards are still scheduled to take place February 10th, and air on CBS-TV. However, no performers or presenters have been announced yet.

Better news for next month's NAACP Image Awards: the Guild has granted them a waiver. WGA West President PATRIC VERRONE explained yesterday, quote, "Because of the historic role the NAACP has played in struggles like ours, we think this decision is appropriate to jointly achieve out goals."

The Show must Limp on!

The writers strike may have forced the cancellation of the glitzy Golden Globes ceremony, but organizers of the Academy Awards insisted Tuesday that their Oscar show is still a go. GIL CATES, producer of the Academy Awards broadcast, told reporters, quote, "We are going to do it. I can't elaborate on how we're going to do it, because I don't want anybody to deal with the elaboration in a way that might impact its success."

It'll be interesting to see how the Academy will pull things off. Without a special agreement from the writers union, Oscar organizers can't hire writers to work on the broadcast. Further, the Academy Awards broadcast is all about big stars, and the Screen Actors Guild -- the union for film and TV actors -- has already said its members won't cross the Writers Guild picket line to attend any awards ceremony.

While producers of the upcoming SAG awards have requested and received a special waiver from the WGA for member writers to work on that broadcast, the union has said it would reject any similar request from the Academy.

Veteran Hollywood producer HARVEY WEINSTEIN says no matter what Cates or anyone else says, if the writers are on strike and the actors' union supports them, there'll be no Oscar show. Weinstein says, quote, "It's as simple as that."Oscar nominations will be announced January 22nd. The Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for February 24th.

SAG Awards! Feel the Power!

The 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air live from Los Angeles on January 27th on TNT and TBS. Here's a list of the nominees:

Actor In A Movie Or Miniseries

Michael Keaton, The Company

Kevin Kline, As You Like It

Oliver Platt, The Bronx Is Burning

Sam Shepard, Ruffian

John Turturro, The Bronx Is Burning

Actress In A Movie Or Miniseries

Ellen Burstyn, Mitch Albom's for One More Day

Debra Messing, The Starter Wife

Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Queen Latifah, Life Support

Vanessa Redgrave, The Fever

Gena Rowlands, What if God Were the Sun?

Actor In A Drama Series

James Gandolfini, The Sopranos

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Hugh Laurie, House

James Spader, Boston Legal

Actress In A Drama Series

Glenn Close, Damages

Edie Falco, The Sopranos

Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters

Holly Hunter, Saving Grace

Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Actor In A Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Steve Carell, The Office

Ricky Gervais, Extras

Jeremy Piven, Entourage

Tony Shalhoub, Monk

Actress In A Comedy Series

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?

America Ferrera, Ugly Betty

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Drama Series Cast

Boston Legal

The Closer

Grey's Anatomy

Mad Men

The Sopranos

Comedy Series Cast

30 Rock

Desperate Housewives

Entourage

The Office

Ugly Betty

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The writers strike may be the biggest issue in Hollywood these days, but it's not bigger than ELIZABETH TAYLOR. The Writers Guild of America lived up to its promise not to picket outside Paramount Pictures studio Saturday in Los Angeles when the film legend, along with JAMES EARL JONES, gave a benefit performance of the play Love Letters. The 75-year-old Taylor put on the show to raise money for AIDS research.

The guild vowed not to picket because, quote, "this worthy event is happening solely through the efforts and underwriting of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who is not only a longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild, but an outspoken supporter of the Writers Guild."

Saturday was World AIDS Day and Taylor, who has raised million to fight the disease over the years, had asked the writers guild for a, quote, "one-night dispensation" so neither she nor audience members wouldn't have to worry about crossing the picket line. Over 500 people attended the show at 25 hundred dollars per ticket.

Strikkkeee!!

Thanksgiving is Thursday, but striking Hollywood writers and TV and movie studio heads will talk turkey right after the holiday.The two sides agreed Friday to resume formal negotiations on Monday the 26th. The parties have not met face-to-face since the walkout began November 5th.

Studios are doing some belt-tightening. At NBC, actors on The Office, 30 Rock and Bionic Woman will receive half pay for five weeks, thanks to the force majeure -- or "greater force" -- clause in their Screen Actors Guild (SAG) contracts. That clause also allows studios and networks to fire actors after production has completely shut down on their shows. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the regulars on the Fox show Til Death and CBS' Rules of Engagement are being put on unpaid hiatus.

Variety reports that NBC fired possibly up to 50 production staffers on Saturday Night Live Friday morning and placed the cast on unpaid hiatus. Even so, most of the cast staged a performance of about 15 sketches at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City Saturday night to benefit SNL staffers affected by the strike. MICHAEL CERA hosted, with musical guest YO LA TENGO. The cast of 30 Rock will deliver a live performance at the same theater tonight.