No Grammy pickets; hints of talks in writers' strike

There will be no picket lines outside the Grammy Awards, the annual ceremony celebrating the best in American music, the union for striking Hollywood writers announced Tuesday.

But a request for a waiver to allow screenwriters to create a script for the awards gala has not yet been granted by the Writers Guild of America.

The WGA previously announced it was unlikely to grant such a waiver to the Recording Academy.

Recording Academy president Neil Portnow said a full-scale Grammys is still being planned.

Artists such as Beyonce and the Foo Fighters have announced they will perform.

CBS is scheduled to telecast the Grammys Feb. 10 from Los Angeles.

The Golden Globes went ahead as a stripped back news conference and the Academy Awards are also threatened because of the ongoing strike by writers, which started Nov. 5.

However, as Oscar nominations were released Tuesday, there were signs of movement in the writers' strike.

Officials with the Writers Guild of America held informal talks with the studios, which insiders said could lead to a resumption of negotiations.

The biggest unsettled issue is compensation for writers when their work is reproduced electronically.

The Directors Guild settled with Hollywood studios last week.