Nothing to party about at Globes conference

First the show, now the parties.

At least two of the traditional post-Golden Globes parties -- put on by studios and broadcasters as a way to tout their good fortune and show off their haul of statuettes -- have been canceled. HBO and Warner Bros./In Style said they would forgo the festivities.

Warners released this statement: "In light of the decision to shift the Golden Globes Awards ceremony to a press conference format this year, Warner Bros. Pictures will not host a post-Awards celebration as it has in previous years with InStyle. We respect and support the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and NBC for making a decision that will recognize the hard work and accomplishments of the creative community."

Sources said that other high-profile parties were expected to follow suit.

The parties are the latest casualty of the 2-month-old writers strike and the decision by the Writers Guild of America to picket the Golden Globes ceremony. In the wake of that decision, celebrities made it clear that they would not cross the picket line to either walk down the red carpet or pick up their trophies, leading NBC to wonder what exactly would be left to televise.

The broadcaster earlier today announced it would scrap the traditional award show in favor of a scaled back "news" event, but the WGA immediately responded by announcing that it might picket that as well.

With so much up in the air, the costly and lavish parties -- which involve countless weeks and hours of preparations -- were also scrapped.

For all the latest strike news see the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.