June 8, 2008 Dear AFTRA Member: On Friday, your AFTRA National Board overwhelmingly approved the tentative agreement reached on May 28 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new three-year primetime television contract (Exhibit A of the AFTRA Network Television Code). In the next week or so, you will be receiving [...]

If there were any doubt that SAG leadership would do anything to avoid asking SAG membership for a strike authorization vote, just look at the course the SAG and AMPTP negotiations are taking. A story in Saturday’s Daily Variety online lays out the scenario: In a move that will unnerve Hollywood, the longtime feud between [...]

The latest email blast to SAG members from Alan Rosenberg, SAG President: June 8, 2008 Dear Members, Screen Actors Guild’s negotiating committee continued its bargaining with the AMPTP this past week. We continue to negotiate for a new contract that will be fair for actors and we are not done yet as there are still [...]

SAG recently sent a signatory film production list for Texas and Louisiana to the membership. Texas has 13 productions on the list: 7 ultra low budget contracts, 3 low budget contracts, 1 TV series and 2 projects working under the standard theatrical agreement. Louisiana has 7 projects on the list: 3 low budget contracts, 0 [...]

KICK THE CAN, which folded in Austin just days before shooting was to begin a few weeks back, has resurfaced. According to an email blast to SAG members, the quirky film based on Jim Lehrer’s book is slated to begin production in Houston on June 16th. At least the new location isn’t Shreveport, LA or [...]

As this dance between SAG and the AMPTP stumbles along toward a June 30th stop date it’s easy to get swayed in this direction or that by the latest bit of ‘news’ filtering out of the two camps. But beyond all the bluster from both sides, there are certain realities: AFTRA, the DGA and the [...]

As negotiations begin again with the AMPTP, SAG is using one tool at its disposal that might put some pressure on the producers organization to settle, a waiver available only to indie productions. By signing the SAG waiver the production company agrees to comply with the eventual deal hammered out with the AMPTP. This deal [...]

SAG and the AMPTP are scheduled to resume talks today which will presumably lead to a new theatrical contract for 120,000 SAG member actors. The pressure is on SAG now that AFTRA has struck their deal. Conventional wisdom in the entertainment press, not something you’d want to stake your life on, is that the talks [...]

Fire officials said Monday that Sunday’s backlot inferno at Universal was accidentally started by workers using a blowtorch to heat asphalt shingles being applied to a structure. The accident sparked a fire that tore through the Universal backlot and faux cityscape Sunday. Also Monday, Uni officials said firefighters had managed to save the courthouse facade [...]

BOX OFFICE MOJO COMPLETE WEEKEND BOX OFFICE TOTALS HERE May 30 – June 1, 2008 Studio Estimates Next updates: Monday afternoon – Actual grosses for 50+ movies; Monday evening – Top 90+ Actuals