It looks like warring factions inside SAG have found some common ground vs the AMPTP. Finally, all the SAG board agrees that allowing SAG sanctioned, non-Union production and no residuals for certain so called new media production is a bad idea for actors. Daily Variety reporter and AMPTP fanboy, Dave McNary lays it all out [...]

How quickly we (I) forget. Last Monday, July 21st, was the birthday of one of my all time favorite comedy actors, Don Knotts. He would have been 84 years old. In the midst of all the back and forth between SAG and the AMPTP and the internal bickering in SAG, it is easy to forget [...]

Rank Title Weekend Gross 1 The Dark Knight (2008) $75.6M $314M 2 Step Brothers (2008) $30M $30M 3 Mamma Mia! (2008) $17.9M $62.7M 4 The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008) $10.2M $10.2M 5 Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) $9.41M $60.2M 6 Hancock (2008) $8.2M $206M 7 WALL·E (2008) $6.35M $195M 8 [...]

Los Angeles, July 26, 2008 — The National Board of Directors of Screen Actors Guild passed the following resolution at its meeting today: It is a core principle of Screen Actors Guild –That no non-union work shall be authorized to be done under any Screen Actors Guild agreement and; That all work under a Screen [...]

The following columm appears in The Dallas Morning News Online 08:49 AM CDT on Friday, July 25, 2008 By JOE O’CONNELL / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News  filmnewsbyjoe at yahoo.com Don Stokes skipped junior- high classes to watch Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway succumb to a spray of bullets as Bonnie and Clyde. [...]

Don Stokes has been in the film business in Dallas for many years. It looks like TXMPA should be in good hands under his leadership. Here is his recent letter to the masses: “It is my honor to be the newly elected President of TXMPA. Thanks to the leadership provided by past Presidents, Hector Garcia [...]

According to a blurb in today’s Austin American Statesman, Friday Night Lights will commence shooting for the new season on August 6th. As previously reported, the new season will first air on DirecTV where it will kick off on October 1st. Exec. Producer Jason Katims told AAS reporter Diane Holloway that the new episodes that [...]

No movement. That’s all there is to report on the ongoing standoff between SAG and the AMPTP. Trade publications put attendance at Saturday’s SAG membership meeting in Hollywood at 450 – 750, depending on which industry rag you want to believe. The producer-friendly Daily Variety article actually has the attendance at the upper end of [...]

One of the best reviewed films of the year had a stunning opening this weekend with an estimated take in excess of $155 million while playing on 4,366 screens. Apparently that wasn’t enough screens because the weekend was a virtual sellout and HOLLYWOOD REPORTER published a report of tickets selling on Ebay for around $50. [...]

The following story on Amazon.com‘s new Video on Demand service appears in newspapers across the country today, 7/18/08. This is just one more example of where film and video distribution is headed. And it is one more example of why the AMPTP is trying to force feed a bad deal on Screen Actors Guild members. As [...]