Monday, December 13, 2010

ACTORS: VOTE YES ON THE TV/THEATRICAL CONTRACT!

My ballot came in the mail today for the Joint TV/Theatrical contract and I voted YES, and urge all my fellow actors to do the same! The ballots were mailed on Friday, December 10, 2010.

I've posted notices regarding the ratification of the proposed contract with its increases and upgrades previously (scroll down and see posts below), and SAG and AFTRA have planned informational meetings around the country to answer questions before the final deadline for receiving all ballots, which is January 14th, 2011.

To find out more about the informational meetings from SAG, please visit their website HERE.

Friday, December 10, 2010

2011 Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Celebration in Baltimore, with a Tribute to Vincent Price

  
The 2011 Poe Birthday Celebration in Baltimore is shaping up nicely. Last year for the birthday celebration I co-produced the East Coast premiere of the Jeffrey Combs one-man play Nevermore, directed by Stuart Gordon. You can order tickets for the 2011 event HERE.

I'm scripting the Vincent Price Tribute now, a short film, and will post some more news as things develop.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVES TENTATIVE BASIC CABLE AND ANIMATION CONTRACTS

RECOMMENDS RATIFICATION OF BASIC CABLE LIVE ACTION DEAL
Los Angeles (December 4, 2010) – The National Board of Screen Actors Guild today overwhelmingly approved the tentative agreements reached November 10 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for successor contracts to the Basic Cable Live Action, Basic Cable Animation and Television Animation contracts.
The Board voted to send the Basic Cable Live Action tentative agreement to the membership for ratification by mailed ballot with the Board’s positive recommendation.  Those ballots will be mailed to eligible SAG members in late January, with an expected return date in early February.  Tabulation will occur immediately upon the conclusion of balloting.
The Board ratified the smaller Basic Cable Animation and Television Animation contracts directly, effective upon the ratification of the Television and Motion Picture contracts.
The current contracts expire on June 30, 2011. Highlights of the tentative agreement include:
• The term of each agreement is three years, commencing July 1, 2011.
• Wage increases of 6% over the terms of the agreements, with 2% increases in each of the three years, effective July 1, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
• A 10% increase in the current rate of employer contributions would be paid to the Screen Actors Guild Pension & Health Plans bringing the total contribution rate to 16.5% effective July 1, 2011.
Additionally, the unions agreed to modifications to the travel provision that allow for business class (or first class when business class is unavailable) on all domestic flights of 1,000 miles or more and on all international flights, except for Vancouver and Toronto, Canada.  Coach class travel is permitted on flights of less than 1,000 miles between a U.S. city and Vancouver, Canada or Toronto, Canada and flights between Los Angeles and Vancouver, Canada. First class travel shall continue to be required if business class is not available and coach is not permissible.
Formal negotiations on these contracts began on Monday, November 8, at AMPTP headquarters in Sherman Oaks, CA.
In other business, the Board received an update from the Screen Actors Guild SAG-AFTRA Relations Task Force regarding recent activities of the Presidents’ Forum for One Union.


JOINT NATIONAL BOARD OF AFTRA AND SCREEN ACTORS GUILD APPROVES TENTATIVE TELEVISION AND MOTION PICTURE CONTRACTS

Los Angeles (December 4, 2010) – The Joint National Board of Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists today overwhelmingly approved the tentative agreement reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on November 7 – a deal which it is now recommending to the respective union memberships.
Eligible AFTRA and SAG members will vote on the proposed successor agreements to the Producer-Screen Actors Guild Codified Basic Agreement for feature motion pictures, scripted network primetime television and pay television programs; Exhibit A of the AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, covering scripted network primetime and pay television programs; and the CW Supplement which applies to both unions.
The Board passed the motion to approve and send to the memberships a recommendation of a “yes” vote by 89.29 percent to 10.71 percent.
Ratification ballots will be mailed to all eligible AFTRA and SAG members in the coming days with an expected return date in mid-January. Due to the holidays, the time period for reviewing and returning ballots will be extended to five weeks (rather than the traditional three-week time period) in order to afford every member the opportunity to carefully review the terms of the proposed agreements before voting. Tabulation will occur immediately upon the conclusion of balloting.
Additionally, informational meetings for members will be scheduled in select cities across the country including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Florida, Washington, D. C.-Baltimore, San Francisco and Atlanta.
The current contracts expire on June 30, 2011. The new three-year agreement would be effective from July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2014.
Highlights of the tentative agreement include:
  • The term of the agreement is 3 years, commencing July 1, 2011
  • A 6% wage increase over the term of the agreement, with 2% in each of the three years, effective July 1, 2011, 2012 and 2013
  • A 10% increase in the current rate of employer contributions paid to the Screen Actors Guild Pension & Health Plans and AFTRA Health & Retirement Funds, bringing the total contribution rate to 16.5% effective July 1, 2011. This represents the largest percentage increase and dollar value increase to the plans under these contracts in more than two decades
  • Two additional background positions in theatrical and one additional background position in television in the Western Zones
  • An expansion of major role provisions to apply to new pay television series commencing in their second season
  • Expanded union coverage over made for new media productions
  • Increases in the area of money and schedule breaks
  • Improved contract language to increase equal employment opportunities for union performers
Additionally, the unions agreed to modifications to the travel provision that allow for business class (or first class when business class is unavailable) on all domestic flights of 1,000 miles or more and on all international flights, except for Vancouver and Toronto, Canada.  Coach class travel is permitted on flights of less than 1,000 miles between a U.S. city and Vancouver, Canada or Toronto, Canada and flights between Los Angeles and Vancouver, Canada.  First class travel shall continue to be required if business class is not available and coach is not permissible.
Screen Actors Guild National President Ken Howard said, “Our most important goal in this negotiation was to protect our members’ ability to have access to strong, reliable pension and health benefits. This contract achieves that by securing the largest increase in decades to our employer P&H/H&R contributions, and I’m extremely pleased that the joint boards of SAG and AFTRA have recommended it to our members for ratification. I’m also grateful to our joint negotiating committee, who worked so closely together to deliver this solid contract.”
AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon said, “AFTRA and SAG successfully achieved our primary objective of securing a significant increase in employer contributions to the H&R and P&H funds, as well as a breakthrough on the addition of Major Role minimum provisions to series made for pay television for the second season onward, among other improvements to the contracts. I commend the joint negotiating committee for their solidarity and hard work, and I am very pleased that the joint board recommends it for ratification by the members.”
Formal negotiations between the 26-member Joint Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA Negotiating Committee and the AMPTP began on Monday, September 27, in Los Angeles. Talks were preceded by wages and working conditions meetings held this past summer.


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

NOTHING SAYS 'HOLIDAYS' BETTER THAN GETTING TOGETHER WITH FAMILY: THE THREE STOOGES HOME MOVIES FROM THE 1930s

I've not seen this fabulous footage before last night. A wonderful home movie of The Three Stooges from the 1930s.

They're all there: The Howard Boys, their kids, parents and wives. Even Larry Fine (who wasn't a blood brother to Moe, Curly or Shemp, but was one in spirit) and his wife.

If the music is familiar, it's because it's a series of LeRoy Shields cuts from the Hal Roach comedies like Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy. And speaking of Laurel, I wish the video had some narration like Laurel's daughter did when his home movies were released on video, identifying everyone.

Around the five minute mark the footage cuts to a "live appearance" of Moe, Larry and Curly. I'd love to know where and when that took place. Then suddenly at around the six minute mark, the footage leaps forward in time to a bunch of frenetic footage of a live appearance of Larry, Moe, and the "sixth member" of the Stooges, Curly Joe DeRita. That footage is probably from the late 1950s or very early 1960s, as Joe DeRita joined the team in 1958.

But this is wonderful to see them all together in the footage from the 30s, all happy and goofing with each other. Yeah, nothing says "happy holidays" better than families getting together and having a good time!

WESTERNS


The western has struggled to make a come back in recent years.

But I'm not sure the western has ever gone away. I think the audience has always been there, eagerly awaiting new tales of adventure.

The upcoming release of the Coen brothers version of TRUE GRIT has fans chomping at the bit, and advance reviews are raving about it.

John Wayne has long been a favorite actor of mine, and he won the Academy Award for his turn in TRUE GRIT (1969) in 1970. Jeff Bridges may have created an equally memorable Rooster Cogburn in the new cinematic telling of Charles Portis' novel that was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post in 1968.

This month might make a good and fun time to discuss the western. Done. Gonna do it.

Meanwhile, here's the trailer for the new TRUE GRIT, hitting U.S. cinemas on December 22, 2010.