Golden Globe Awards ceremony cancelled

Washington, Jan 8 : The 65th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony has officially been cancelled after the actors refused to attend the ceremony in solidarity with the ongoing strike by writers over royalties.

This move comes in response to the Screen Actors Guild's decision of not crossing picket lines by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), thereby leaving the ceremony without any stars at all.

"The 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards NBC telecast and champagne dinner in the Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom is officially canceled," People quoted the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), as saying in a statement.

The sponsors of the award, HFPA, have formally announced that instead of the lavish yearly ceremony in Beverly Hills, the awards will be announced in an hour long press conference showcased on NBC.

"We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony will not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favorite stars celebrating 2007's outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television," said president Jorge Camara.

He added: "We take some comfort, however, in knowing that this year's Golden Globe Award recipients will be announced on the date originally scheduled."

It has been reported that even after the best efforts of the NBC and the HFPA, any hope of the ceremony taking place has been ruled off.

The WGA has been on strike since early November due to a row over so-called "residuals" - royalties for work distributed online or released on DVD.

The WGA has showed gratitude towards the actors' union for its "solidarity and support" and said that it is engaged in a "crucial struggle that will protect our income and intellectual property rights for generations to come".

As far as the Globe nominations are concerned, Atonement topped the list with seven nominations.

ANI