Scott Wilson & David Clennon on the January 26, 2009 SAG Coup

SAG E-mail from David White

Dear Screen Actors Guild member,

As you know, the Guild was scheduled to resume negotiations today regarding the expired TV/Theatrical contract.  However, that meeting had to be postponed due to a legal matter that has been brought against the Guild, which is now before a state court in Los Angeles.  I am writing to present you with information about this development.

Yesterday, the Guild received notice that President Alan Rosenberg, 1st Vice President Anne-Marie Johnson and National Board members Kent McCord and Diane Ladd filed a lawsuit against the Guild challenging the January 26, 2009 “written assent” presented by a majority of the National Board of Directors.  As you know, that written assent terminated the Guild’s relationship with its then-National Executive Director; created and appointed a national task force to advise the Chief Negotiator and the Board on the TV/Theatrical negotiations; named John T. McGuire as Chief Negotiator; and named me as Interim National Executive Director. If successful, this legal action could impact or even reverse those board actions.

As a result, attorneys for Screen Actors Guild appeared this morning in Los Angeles Superior Court to respond to the lawsuit. After hearing from attorneys representing the plaintiffs, as well as the response from SAG counsel, the Court ruled that the lawsuit was procedurally defective and refused to issue the requested injunction.

The Plaintiffs’ counsel then stated that they intend to amend their documents and resubmit them this Thursday morning, February 5, 2009. The Guild will present a vigorous defense.

The Guild understands the importance of concluding negotiations and securing a fair contract for SAG members and looks forward to re-engaging with the AMPTP as soon as possible.  In the meantime, the Guild continues to work in the service of its members, with focus, dedication and commitment.

David White
Interim National Executive Director

Heroes, Cold Case, 90210 and much more!

Michael Castle booked a Guest Star on CASTLE	Hissoni Johnson booked a Lead in the Feature Film THE RIOT, which shoots in Seattle	Suzette Tomlinson booked a Starring Role in the Feature Film OCEAN FRONT PROPERTY
May Wang booked a Co-Star in 90210 and a Lead in the Film NO RETURN	Jason Kelley booked a Co-Star in COLD CASE and a Co-Star in HEROES	Nic Haas booked a Supporting Role in the Feature Film FORTUNE 500
Annette LeSure booked a Co-Star in SAMANTHA WHO?	Phillip Jordan booked a Supporting Role in the Feature Film COUPLES RETREAT with Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau	Jim Titus booked WITHOUT A TRACE.
Thomas O’Leary booked a Starring Role in the Film SOFT TOUCH	Brittany Peltier booked a Supporting Role in the Feature Film OCEAN FRONT PROPERTY

It's Official: SAG is a mess

First there was the letter of ascension that ousted Doug Allen.

Now there’s a lawsuit filed by Alan Rosenberg yesterday to reinstate Doug Allen. Because of this impending lawsuit, the negotiations that were supposed to begin have now been halted.

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD STATEMENT REGARDING THE POSTPONEMENT OF SAG-AMPTP MEETING SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 3 AND 4

Los Angeles, (February 2, 2009) – Screen Actors Guild today notified the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that the Guild had received a notice of intent to file a complaint tomorrow.

In light of this circumstance, both parties have agreed to a postponement of their meeting and will reschedule at a later date.

Screen Actors Guild has no further comment on the notice of intent received today or the postponement of tomorrow’s meeting.

XXX

When will this in-fighting end? I know there has been infighting in SAG for years but now this in just getting ridiculous.

I wonder if there is any way we could get some sort of federal mediator to quell the mess inside of SAG – not like the one we got for the negotiations between SAG and the AMPTP.

You can read much more from Jonathan Handel

Mickey Rourke picks the winner?

Despite all the buzz surrounding Mickey Rourke for his performance in “The Wrestler,” he doesn’t think he’ll win the Academy Award later this month.

He recently told People magazine that, he’ll “probably be up there clapping for Sean Penn.”

Penn is up for his amazing performance in “Milk.”

Christian Bale-istic

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.4MB)

I’m sure you’ve already heard this but I figured I’d post this here anyway.

Can you imagine being on set and hearing Christian Bale going nuts like this?? I’ve been on tons of sets, big and small, and have never seen or heard anything like this.

This is one of those rants where everything around you stops and you just stare at your feet wishing things would go back to normal.

Click here for the rant. It’s a classic.

Biggest January Box Office Ever & more Ads on ABC.com

The LA Times is reporting the January had the biggest box office ever, hauling in a hefty $1.03 billion dollars.

Industry watchers said the unexpectedly strong January, which pushed action film “Taken” to the top this weekend, suggested that movies were benefiting from the economic downturn by providing a relatively cheap escape from the drumbeat of layoffs, bankruptcies and other bad news.

“Going to the movies is the new vacation,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers.

Meanwhile, Advertising Age reports that ABC is about to place more commercials on the shows that it streams on the internet.

ABC.com has been making noise for some time about boosting ad loads to bring the amount of revenue earned from viewers more in line with TV, and started conducting research early in 2008.

What does this mean for actors now that the big studios are raking in all this cash?

Nothing.

That’s because the studio aren’t making any money. Didn’t you hear? They aren’t making money on the internet and aren’t making any money at the box office or through DVD’s.

They’re poor. And we should be also…at least according to the AMPTP.

Anthony LaPaglia on Inside The Actors Studio tonight

Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace, Frasier, Empire Records) is visiting Inside the Actors Studio tonight on Bravo. James Lipton puts him through the ringer about his role on the crime drama Without a Trace and talks about their shared love of tattoos. Anthony’s wife shares juicy tidbits about how they first met, while Lipton tries to convince his wife to let him get some ink.

An Agent admits he made a mistake

Author Cooper Lawrence writes in his new book, “The Cult of Celebrity,” that Julia Roberts search for an agent wasn’t all flowers and roses.

Agent Robert Attermann of Abrams Artists Agency says she came in for a meeting but his staff proclaimed the future star “too trailer park”and decided not to sign her.

She “came in years ago,” he says,  “and the commercial agent who met with her at the time said, ‘Nah, she’s too trailer park.’”

He goes on to say that “as a matter of fact, when we moved offices, we were going through old rejection files, and in there was Annette Bening, Robin Givens, Julia Roberts and a couple of others.”

« Previous Page