No Picketing Planned for Grammys

1/23/2008 Stephen L. Betts No one will be forced to cross a picket line to attend the 50th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10. On Tuesday (1/22), the striking Hollywood writers’ guild announced it will refrain from picketing the upcoming show. Also on Tuesday, Nashville-based artists gathered to celebrate their nominations at a party at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel. Vince Gill, whose 4-CD set These Days is nominated for best overall album, told The Tennessean he was relieved to be free of the decision of whether to cross a picket line. “I don't know if I was going to cross,” says Vince. “I'm a writer for a living. In my heart of hearts I think they'll get this settled. It was kind of ironic though: You get nominated for a big award and then you go, ‘Dang, I don't know if we're going to get to go to this party.’” “This is my first nomination, it's a huge deal for me," says 18-year-old Taylor Swift. “If they had the Grammys, I was going to go.” Although the guild's board of directors has yet to grant a waiver allowing union writers to work on the ceremony, the Grammys typically depend more on performances than scripted lines or comedy. The guild previously said it was unlikely to grant the Recording Academy a waiver for the show, the music industry's most important event, set to be broadcast live on CBS from Los Angeles.