Hollywood awards ceremonies usually have plenty of drama -- who shows up with who, who's wearing what, celebrity feuds and, to a lesser extent, who actually wins the awards.

But the 65th annual Golden Globe awards slated for January 13th could take on a whole new level of controversy. As Hollywood's elite make their way onto the red carpet, there could be thousands of striking writers there holding signs, chanting and just generally making things very awkward. There is even speculation that the award show's broadcast could be canceled or shifted to a webcast. But labor officials say they would picket even a webcast version because Dick Clark Productions is set to produce the event.

According to the New York Times, "Panicked at the prospect of having to confront strikers as they waltz up the red carpet, celebrities have sent what Hollywood publicity executives describe as a near-unanimous signal: If striking writers show up, the stars won't."

Going for a classy private affair devoid of television cameras seems like a great way to go for the ceremony. Hollywood could avoid the potential disaster of a televised protest and an awards ceremony that isn't broadcast into every home would be kind of nice -- might actually restore some of the glamor and intrigue of the cinema.

Yes it's true -- just like you and me, the writers want more money, and since they did not get it they are walking out. Actually having some keen familiarity with Hollywood, I would find it hard to believe that after not striking since 1988, writers could actually come to any agreement with producers without one now.

First of all, the world is changing rapidly and whatever agreements they settled on in the past is most assuredly not attuned to the media landscape of today. The writers feel they negotiated a borderline contract before, and do not want to give up any revenue opportunities now.

Producers have made more money from the internet and DVD sales than they have in the past, but they have seen weaker box office attendance and are getting burned badly by DVD pirates burning cheap discs for sale at great discount to the legitimate copies.

The last time there was a strike, we are told the industry lost $500 million. I have no way of verifying the legitimacy of that figure because in Hollywood (as those in the know can attest), the most creative talent is found in the accounting department, not on the screen.

At midnight, the Writer's Guild of America walked off the job, leaving the television and entertainment industry without anyone to craft the jokes and dramatic dialog we depend on to fill our otherwise empty lives. No more poop deck gags for Fox's (NYSE: NWS) Family Guy (you really phoned that one in, gang). No more four-times-an-hour plot reversals for 24. No more lame-o quips to eviscerate the comedy of viewer-submitted video on Animal Planet.

The discord is symptomatic of the evolution in the entertainment industry, as the various contributors fight for a fair share of the spoils of internet-based and DVD revenues. These new alternatives provide the long tail for entertainment, allowing once filed-and-forgotten shows to remain available for viewing ad nauseum.

As online entertainment embraces the advertising-supported model, the archive of shows will continue to spin off revenue, and the writers want their share. Can you blame them? Sure, stars like Tom Green deserve millions for embarrassing themselves on television, but shouldn't there be a least a little sump'm sump'm for the people that create the words that drive the entertainment?

Or perhaps the Blue Man Group is all you need or want.