The pay dispute has already forced cancellation of the Golden Globe Awards, an annual precursor to the Academy Awards next month.

But now film star George Clooney has said he and other big names will snub the night of stars if it means having to defy pickets.

“I don’t cross picket lines,” he pledged on Monday night at the Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica. “I belong to six unions myself and I wouldn’t cross a picket line.”

So if others who attended Monday’s event, like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and Katie Holmes, take a similar stand, the Critics bash may be the nearest thing to the Oscars this winter. British star Keira Knightley also pledged her support to the Writers Guild of America.

“I wouldn’t like to cross the writers’ picket line to attend,” said the 22-year-old – despite being hotly tipped for a Best Actress Oscar.

The three-month strike has affected most big US TV shows like Lost, 24 and Desperate Housewives and stalled production of many Hollywood films.