SAG-AFTRA Merger: How Stars Come On Energy

SAG-AFTRA merger ballots venture out soon, and when people of Hollywood's two actor unions provide a thumbs-up, they'll trigger a 2-year procedure for mixing staff, boards, contracts and, most likely, pension and health plans.After which what?What about two more mergers? Don't laugh. Proper combinations could change Hollywood and spawn a titan worth top billing inside a summer time action movie: a bulked-up superunion with star energy, deep achieve into every congressional district and unparalleled leverage from the major galleries.The initial step is always to merge SAG-AFTRA with Stars Equity, happens stars union. That will bring just about any professional actor in one place -- permitting the megaguild to show in the warmth on Disney, a large theater producer.The merged stars union could go one step further and join having a union which has very little mind-be part of Hollywood: the American Federation of Music artists. Besides discussing the worries of all entertainment union people -- wages, benefits and job possibilities -- the bond here's AFTRA, the 77,000-member guild that signifies stars, newscasters and, importantly, performers. Major-label tracks are often made by AFTRA performers and AFM music artists, working 16-hour days together.The unions interact too. They manage a joint royalties fund, as well as their music contracts are actually synchronized, providing them with more energy when confronted with labels -- including The new sony Music, which turns into a pressure point from the company's movie studio too.A mix of SAG-AFTRA using the AFM could be a game title-changer. The musicians' union boasts 90,000 people, which may bring the combined total to some hefty quarter-million. More essential, AFM's people are dispersed across 250 local people, a geographic achieve SAG and AFTRA are only able to imagine.That means a chance to area significant amounts in each and every condition and congressional district -- required for fighting for union legislation focal points or against individuals from the galleries. The union could, for example, tie lower NBCUniversal by flooding city local authorities across the nation with complaints about cable companies possessed by Comcast, the studio's parent.Now add the wattage of SAG-AFTRA celebs -- required for bringing in national media attention -- and you've got the elements for any potent campaign in mid-air and on the floor.May be the chairman of the key congressional committee from rural Kansas? SAG-AFTRA-AFM could deploy a Kansas-born star to garner local coverage and generate calls and e-mails. SAG alone, as well as SAG-AFTRA, has little achieve in places where cows outnumber people. But AFM people live from coast to coast.Certainly, the final time an entertainment union strode over the national stage was 70 years back, once the AFM shut lower the record industry -- and set radio stations industry inside a vise -- for 2 years starting in 1942. Choking off entertainment in the height of The Second World War brought to some national uproar, but AFM leader James Petrillo was firm, even when confronted with an individual appeal from FDR. So undeterred was Petrillo he did not hesitate to call another strike, in 1948, that survived several months. Both ended using the companies capitulating.Can entertainment labor accomplish a hat trick? SAG-AFTRA politics are certain to be complex, the AFM features its own stresses, and mega-union plans frequently founder over concerns that certain constituency might dominate. Certainly none of the may happen unless of course SAG and AFTRA merge. Equity will not link up if individuals two unions are estranged, as well as for SAG, the direction to AFM leads straight through AFTRA -- and perhaps to true national energy.--------------MERGER Enemies MAKE THEIR CASEDespite signs os member support for mixing SAG and AFTRA, a little yet progressively vocal minority is making its opposition heard. About 30 picketers collected outdoors the La headquarters of both actor unions in Feb for 2 "Save SAG" rallies made to call focus on perceived weak points from the merger, including questions regarding whether SAG health plans could be destabilized after mixing with AFTRA. The unions' leadership argues that the merger brings the clout required to endure conglomerate-possessed galleries, beat back nonunion work and improve benefits. However, many, for example longtime SAG board member and former vice president Anne-Marie Manley, call that the fallacy, quarrelling the program would "marginalize stars and become a foundation smashing the union." Other medication is agonizing that method to election once the problem is defined before people at the end of Feb. "I am leaning toward no," states Ron Ostrow, another on SAG's settling committee, before adding that he's "concerned that saying no thanks is worse than tallying.Inch SAG people declined merger plans in 1998 and 2003, however the union has chosen professional-merger leaders recently, and 87 percent of their national board endorsed a mixture plan in The month of january. Still, a whiff of lawsuit is incorporated in the air, with a minumum of one opposition group threatening to file a lawsuit in federal court to prevent the merger election before it takes place.Revise: This story was prepared on Feb 20 for inclusion within the weekly print edition of THR. Next date, the suit recommended above was indeed filed. The Hollywood Reporter

MPTF Reveals New $350M Fundraising event Campaign

Movie Television Fund board member George Clooney today introduced the launch from the $350 million fundraising event drive within the organization over the following three years. Within a breakfast within the Polo Lounge in Beverly Slopes, MPTF brass mentioned that $238 million had been elevated inside the effort, with key contributions in the type of Clooney, Steve Bing, Tom Cruise, Craig Diller, Fox Entertaiment Group, David Geffen, Michael Lewis, Jerry Perenchio, Joe Roth, Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Todd Phillips, Patrick Soon-shiong, Thomas Tull and John Wells, among others. That’s furthermore for the $100 million already available according to Katzenberg, chairman in the MPTF Foundation. Within the last 2 decades, the fund has elevated $200 million. MPTF leader Bob Beitcher mentioned the fundraising event push has come about as an75,000 baby senior citizens will probably be retiring in the market over the following 2 decades. “This can be a back-on their account,” he mentioned today.The fund’s finest fundraising event event of year, the annual “Night Before” Oscar party, is positioned for Saturday within the Beverly Slopes Hotel. It’s been an assorted bag of news within the MPTF — Clooney, a board member for just about any year, mentioned today that Katzenberg told him, “If you think the Sudan is tough, just try the MPTF.”The organization that provides extended-term health care and services for individuals in the entertainment industry was punished $80,000 with the condition yesterday due to its part inside the dying from the patient this season. Beitcher addressed the citation today, saying the MPTF introduced in outdoors safety consultants and completed special practicing staff so “this won’t happen again,” he mentioned. “This is important but is ancient history for people.”The Woodland Slopes-based nursing facility lately introduced it had reorganized enough to reverse a 2009 decision to close it lower — a move that came critique and law suits. The reopened facility will house around 40 patients anytime continuing to move forward.Last week, the MPTF also introduced a tie-tabs on UCLA Health System which is Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital that will offer ageriatric psychiatry unit within the fund’s Wasserman Campus. It'll provide inpatient and outpatient services and chances are it will anticipate to go noisy . 2013.

5 million 'Breaking Dawn' dvd disks offered

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning, Part 1'Summit Entertainment has offered greater than 5 million DVD and Blu-ray types of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning, Part 1" inside the pic's first 11 occasions of homevid release.Summit mentioned DVD sales for your fourth "Twilight" film are roughly 13% before sales for "Eclipse," the next film inside the franchise, within the same reason behind its release. Digital sales may also be before "Eclipse" using more than 74,000 electronic sell-through transactions, up 53%, well as over 175,000 video-on-demand transactions, up 162%.The fourth "Twilight" makes greater than $700 million worldwide within the box office so far. The fifth film, "Breaking Beginning, Part 2," opens November. 16.The homevid prospects for "Breaking Beginning - Part 1" is probably the factors that has elevated Lionsgate stock in recent days round the heels in the small-major's acquisition of Summit while using stock striking consecutive all-time levels with shares jumping 2% Tuesday and Wednesday, closing at $12.55. Analyst David Pleasure of Burns Tabak upgraded the stock with a buy and lifted his cost target from $12 to $14 on Wednesday. While strong, the "Breaking Beginning, Part 1" sales aren't enough to unseat "Avatar" since the reigning homevid champion. This Season, "Avatar" moved 4 million DVD models in the very first day on purchase and also the other 2.7 million Blu-ray game game titles after four days on shelves. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Reelz acquires Sarah Palin doc

Reelz Channel has acquired TV rights to Stephen Bannon's Sarah Palin documentary "The Undefeated" and will premiere it on March 11, just a day after HBO debuts "Game Change," the adaptation of the best selling book chronicling the Alaska governor's entrance into the 2008 race. The two projects will certainly be a study in contrasts: "The Undefeated," which had a theatrical and pay-per-view run last year, is a reverential look at Palin, from how she took on the good-old-boys club of Alaska politics to her battles against the entrenched media and Beltway establishment as she rose to national prominence. Palin attended the film's premiere last summer in Iowa. "Game Change" is based on the 2008 campaign tome by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, but the HBO movie focuses on the drama surrounding John McCain selection of Palin as his running mate. While it portrays her 2008 convention speech and vice presidential debate as triumphs and her defense of family and special needs children as strengths, she's also shown as a mercurial figure way in over her head, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. Palin already has denounced the movie. Bannon said that Reelz's showing "will be a counterweight" to the HBO film, which he called a "fictionalized account of what happened." The makers of "Game Change," director Jay Roach and writer Danny Strong, have defended not only the research from the book but their own research. They said they reached out to Palin for her input, but she declined. Stanley E. Hubbard, CEO of Reelz Channel, said that Palin "is a charismatic figure who burst onto the political scene, and whatever your leanings, if you have any interest or curiosity in politics, social change or the Sarah Palin phenomenon, this is a must-see movie." Reelz Channel stepped into the political fray last year when it acquired the miniseries "The Kennedys" from History channel, which dropped the controversial project in the face of criticism from some historians. It went on to garner 10 Emmy nominations. Bannon, host of KABC's nationally syndicated "Victory Sessions," is currently at work on the documentary "Occupy Unmasked," a conservative counter to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Citizens United Prods. is producing. Contact Ted Johnson at ted.johnson@variety.com

Ex-Voice critic Hoberman lands gig

Former Village Voice critic J. Hoberman continues to be named chief film critic of Blouin ARTINFO, Louise Blouin, chairman and Boss of Louise Blouin Media, stated Friday. Hoberman will join film editor Graham Larger in the publication. "Hoberman and Larger join a previously outstanding team of worldwide recognized arts journalists," stated Benjamin Genocchio, Vice president of editorial at Louise Blouin Media. "With staff within the U.K., France, Germany, China, South america, Russia, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and India, we're building the earth's premiere online place to go for coverage from the arts and culture." Hoberman, who had been formerly the senior film critic in the Village Voice, is going to be adding weekly film reviews featuring for Blouin ARTINFO, beginning in a few days. Noted for his noticeably intellectual style, Hoberman has assisted pioneer cinema critique since his first review in 1983. He's trained at NY College, Harvard College and Cooper Union, and it has offered two terms around the NY Film Festival selection committee, from 1982-1984 and 2007-2009. Throughout his celebrated career, Hoberman has additionally curated film displays at P.S. 1, the Museum from the Moving Image and also the Jewish Museum. Larger will furthermore write film market news and reviews features for that website, and continue his blog, The Cutting Room, on Blouin ARTINFO. He's even the editor of "Potter on Potter" and "Loach on Loach," both released by Faber and Faber. "At a time in which the ease of access to details are more universal than ever before, we're ongoing to challenge the limitations of traditional news mediums by supplying original content that encourages, helps and improves the progress of cultural dialogue within our global community," stated Blouin. "To possess two film experts of the quality reflects the deep commitment for Blouin ARTINFO to construct upon the talents in our existing platform." This film expansion follows the current rebranding of Blouin ARTINFO and also the debut of Blouin ARTINFO Australia, Blouin ARTINFO Hong Kong and Blouin ARTINFO United kingdom. Additional worldwide versions of Blouin ARTINFO is going to be released throughout every season in other nations, to become introduced later. Contact Shaun Sneider at shaun.sneider@variety.com

ICM Parting Ways With 3 Movie Lit Agents

EXCLUSIVE:This is being spun two ways to me. Either ICM is dismantling its movie department under President and newly in charge of the entire agency Chris Silbermann who’s all about the TV biz. Or else the agency is emerging from its civil strife by just doing some innocent housecleaning. Hmm. ICM is parting ways with three motion picture lit agents:Ava Jamshidi who came to ICM from APA several years ago, Nick Harris who came from Mosaic, and Aaron Hart who came from William Morris when that agency merged with Endeavor.The fact is these exitings follow theforced departure ofindependent film guru Hal Sadoff. AndI’ve heard that right now pressure is being put on one very well knownlongtime ICM movie agent to move on.Andthe heads of more high-profile movie agents may be on the chopping block because they also weren’t Silbermann supporters in the coup d’etat against Chairman Jeff Berg.Silbermann’s campsimply explainsthat such moves are necessary as “we’re taking back the company and promoting the next generation of stars”.The agency tried for soft landings forthis week’s trio by finding them other jobs “but in this economy it’s hard”.

New 'Game Of Thrones' Photos: Winter's Finest Hits

Holy Westeros, that's plenty of "Wager on Thrones" goodness! Cinemax has released 17 new stills while watching second season premiere of "Thrones," airing on April 1. Inside the new batch of photos, you're going to get acquainted with beginners Stannis Baratheon, Melisandre of Asshai, Davos Seaworth plus much more. Additionally, you will see familiar faces like Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen as well as the Imp Tyrion Lannister. See the whole gallery by striking Dany's exhausted face below, and search for our rundown of all the new "Wager on Thrones" figures when you are advertising online!

Nominees for the best song

THE MUPPETS"Guy or Muppet" Music and lyrics by Bret McKenzie Overview: Emmy-nominated "Flight from the Conchords" songwriter McKenzie composed four tunes for Disney's Muppet comeback movie. His energy ballad "Guy or Muppet" puts a distinctively "Muppetational" spin on finding a person's devote existence.Oscar pedigree: First nomPlacement: Just a little over an hour or so in to the movie, Gary (Jason Segel) finds out his girlfriend Mary (Can Be) leaves him, and the Muppet brother Walter wrestles with talent issues because the Muppet Telethon approaches. "Large Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons includes a funny cameo as Walter's human counterpart.Aesthetic: "The premise itself I've found funny," states McKenzie, "to ensure that was simple to write. It's most likely Gary's most sincere moment within the movie, and Jason does a very beautiful performance on the watch's screen. That's certainly one of individuals tunes that actually goes within the character and you're able to observe how the smoothness is feeling."Greatest challenge: "We understood that Gary could be searching at his reflection, and the reflection could be searching back. There have been visual ideas that must be incorporated."RIO"Real in Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, lyrics by Siedah Garrett Overview: Legendary Brazilian music performer Mendes (of "South america '66" fame) became a member of with Brazilian percussionist Brown and lyricist Garrett (most widely known on her Michael Jackson song "Guy within the Mirror") to create a samba salute to Rio p Janeiro for that three dimensional animated film.Oscar pedigree: First nom for Mendes and Brown second for Garrett (formerly nominated for any song from "Dreamgirls").Positioning: Opens the film having a splashy, colorful morning scene within the jungle near Rio, because the wild birds sing concerning the town's special characteristics song returns for that film's happy ending.Aesthetic: "(Director Carlos Saldanha) wanted a haunting tune that will feel the whole movie and, in the finish, explode in to the parade for Circus," states Mendes. "Immediately I returned to my childhood, you awaken, all of the wild birds are singing, the gorgeous greenery, that atmosphere. Carlinhos did many of the percussion."Greatest challenge: "Every song around the soundtrack was initially in Portuguese," Garrett states. "They made the decision to complete the soundtrack in British. My assignment ended up being to create an British lyric that seemed such as the Portuguese words which were happening underneath. The song required to convey the sensation of fun, party, festivity, music and beats, only the soulfulness of Rio. Sergio continues to be saying about Rio for 25 years I'd never been."Eye around the Academy awards: The MusicTune deafThe nominees:Score Song Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Oscar season spotlights disconnect

It's always surreal during awards season to watch studio chiefs applaud the winning pictures, since these are the same movies that they'd previously turned down. When an out-of-the-box film like "The King's Speech" strikes pay dirt, executives will always confide that it was an "accident," even an "inadvertency." That's because its budget was under $100 million and its plot did not emanate from a Marvel comicbook -- hence it had to try for "indie" money.The basic irony of Oscar season is that it has all the trappings of Official Hollywood but the awards themselves speak a different language. That's why the most dramatic way to energize the Oscars this year would be turn the entire ritual over to the brave souls who actually put up the resources to make "The Artist," "Hugo" or "The Iron Lady." Or to stars like Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Meryl Streep who not only acted in their films but went to the mat to produce and market them. (Streep even contributed her fee to build a new museum honoring the achievements of other women.) Or to Steven Spielberg, whose company delivered "The Help" and who also created in "War Horse' the closest thing to an old-fashioned studio picture.Indeed "War Horse" symbolized a fact that a generation of filmmakers has all but forgotten: that films like "The Godfather" or "Dr. Strangelove" or "Terms of Endearment" or "Nashville" were once mainstream studio pictures. When they were honored during awards season, the studio executives applauded because they, too, had put their butts on the line to see them through.So think of an Oscar show produced by Harvey Weinstein and directed by Spielberg and hosted by Clooney and Pitt with Graham King and Scott Rudin telling some war stories and Uggie the dog doing a dance number. The ratings won't be distinguished, but at least the show will be a true representation of the real Hollywood.That is, the real anti-Hollywood.The secrets of 'Service' Here comes yet another book subtitled "The Secret Sex Lives of the Stars." It's surely a weary genre, but this book has stirred an aura of mystery and expectation. That's because it was written by an 88-year-old ex-Marine named Scotty Bowers, who has become a mythic figure in Hollywood's gay subculture.In his heyday of the '50s and '60s, Bowers was the ultimate fixer -- the man who purportedly arranged sexual liaisons for the likes of Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, the Duke of Windsor and anyone else passing through town who wanted a gay adventure. He claims to have arranged scores of female escorts for Katharine Hepburn as well.Bowers' book, published recently by Grove Press, is titled "Full Service," a clever title reflecting the fact that Bowers' activities were based out of a gas station in the middle of Hollywood. Its cover carries endorsements from the likes of Gore Vidal and Griffin Dunne and the book was greeted by a long and felicitous story in the Sunday NY Times. There will even be a Vidal-hosted book party this week at the Chateau Marmont where Bowers will be on hand.Does the book deserve this sort of attention? Surely Bowers (and co-author Lionel Friedberg) are skilled name-droppers and spare no sexual detail, but I always cringe when I read lurid reports about long-dead celebrities who are not around to defend themselves. The topic of sexual ambiguity itself has become overexploited: Try Googling any movie star and you encounter a sideshow purporting to offer inside "gay" information about anyone from Will Smith to Matt Damon to George Clooney.To Sonny Bowers in his prime, every movie star was ostensibly gay except for Bowers himself who, while turning gay tricks, lived with a woman, had a child, and then married yet another woman with whom he presently lives. Bowers documents his encounters with great specificity -- including Walter Pidgeon's proclivities -- and takes the reader inside some of the most fascinating "scenes" of the period. He was invited to George Cukor's mythic salons, hung out with Tennessee Williams, advised Dr. Kinsey on his sex surveys and tried to help Errol Flynn with his drinking problem.Trouble is, while Bowers seemed well traveled, he describes his adventures in a sort of relentless monotone -- a man who, like a sexual Zelig, has seen everything but cannot capture any of the color or understand the nuance. His dedication to supplying "full service" seemed downright exhausting at the time, but his service to the reader -- or to the memories of the stars he describes -- seems seriously open to question. Contact Peter Bart at peter.bart@variety.com