NBC: Golden Globes to Go On As Planned

MONDAY DECEMBER 31, 2007 08:50 AM EST

The welcome mat is out for George Clooney, Keira Knightley and Julia Roberts – as well as the other Golden Globe nominees.

NBC says that the Jan. 13 ceremony will proceed as planned, despite the threat of picketing from the striking Writers Guild of America and stars boycotting the event as a show of support, reports USA Today.

Fears of nominees turning into no-shows had caused some talk of possibly canceling the broadcast or, at a minimum, severely damaging the ratings of the telecast.

On Friday, The New York Times ran a story casting doubt on the possibility of the Globes' proceeding as originally planned.

The paper quoted Jeff Hermanson, strike coordinator for the Writers Guild of American West and the Writers Guild of America East, as positioning protestors around the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the ceremony will take place.

"If the Globes is telecast and it is produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is a struck company, we will picket the show," he said.

Jorge Camara, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group behind the Globes, reportedly vowed that the 65th annual ceremony will go on, as intended.

Six weeks after the Globes come the Oscars, on Feb. 24. The star power of the first event is expected to serve as a gauge for the second.