Golden Globes glitz gone amid strike

In case anyone's still keeping count amid the writers strike that has hobbled Hollywood's awards season, the tragic romance "Atonement" led the pack for Sunday's Golden Globes with seven nominations.

Films and performances have taken a back seat to the business side of show business — intractable management and unyielding writers, the latter taking a hardball stance that forced Globe organizers to scrap their swanky telecast for a humdrum news conference to announce winners.

On strike since Nov. 5, the Writers Guild of America refused to let union members work on the star-studded banquet-style show, prompting actors to boycott the ceremony rather than cross picket lines.

Although the guild called off pickets it had planned outside the news conference, the strike left one of Hollywood's brightest and giddiest nights in shambles. Despite the gowns and formal wear, the Globes are known as a freewheeling cousin of the Academy Awards, a place where stars can have a few drinks and cut loose as they celebrate the year's achievements in film and television.

A few hours before the show, a dozen below-the-line entertainment industry workers stood outside the Beverly Hilton hotel, holding signs asking for the studios and the writers to resume negotiations.

Howard Keys, a set medic with the ABC show "Private Practice," said he's been out of work since his show went dark before Thanksgiving. "We're the workers, the grunts of the industry," he said. "A grip, a camera operator, a set lighting technician — they can't work elsewhere. These are our full-time jobs, our careers."