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L.A. restaurants in no-win situation as fate of awards shows remains unclear

L.A. restaurants in no-win situation as fate of awards shows remains unclear

Awards season in Los Angeles so far is looking pretty tarnished.

The Golden Globes, usually the first of many glamorous events where stars gather to collect statuettes and the world watches to see what they are wearing, this year was reduced to a no-thrills press conference because of the continuing writers’ strike. And no one in the city’s hospitality industry is happy about that.

Not only are there normally many huge banquets for the thousands of celebrities and those who love them at such events, but also some restaurants host award-show-watching parties for us regular folk who want to share in the spectacle.

But future awards festivities are in danger as a result of the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America, which for months has locked horns with studio executives over new-media payment issues.

Without writers, there are no opening monologues or witty banter by awards presenters. And because many who would have attended the Golden Globes scheduled for Jan. 13 refused to cross the picket line, the show was canceled.

So were the five major parties scheduled for the Beverly Hilton Hotel, which was to host the event that night, including the champagne dinner for 1,300 in the main ballroom and after-parties for as many as 3,000 more, said Lynda Simonetti, a spokeswoman for the hotel.

Now, many people are concerned about the rest of awards season, which includes the Oscar nomination announcement Jan. 22, the Screen Actors Guild awards Jan. 27, the Grammys Feb. 10 and—biggest of all—the Oscars Feb. 24.

No doubt, this is making the Wolfgang Puck Catering folks very nervous. That company caters the Governors Ball at the Oscars as well as many other glittering awards-season affairs. At press time, Clare Davis, a spokeswoman for the catering group, said simply that they plan to move ahead with their plans for the festivities.

New York chef Tom Colicchio’s Craft Los Angeles this year is set to host the Vanity Fair party, one of the most high-profile events of Oscar night. For the past 13 years, that party was held at Morton’s in West Hollywood, but the venerable power-dining spot closed last year.

Lauren White, who handles private dining at Craft Los Angeles, said the restaurant typically requires two weeks advance notice for cancellations, but this situation is different.

“It would be awful if it were cancelled,” she added. “We’re optimistic. We definitely support the writers and hope they will come to an agreement.”

So it’s not just about who is on the red carpet and what they are wearing. These events employ hundreds of people, from the chefs who slave over the canapés to the dishwashers who clean up afterward.

On with the shows!

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