Jennings Resigns, Pawluc Sworn In

In accordance with the Constitution of Local 44 a successor was elected by the Executive Board to fill the unexpired term. On the evening of September 24, 2008 Anthony Pawluc was sworn in as Secretary Treasurer of Local 44 to fulfill those duties for the remainder of the term.

Ed Brown, Business Agent of the local, spoke to BTL about some of the intrigue behind the surprise announcement, noting that in Jennings first term he was one of the inheritors of “a fiscally broken organization — they were able to accomplish positive things.”

But other things — many of them personal — appeared to’ve caught up with Jennings, including some conflation of personal relationships with work duties, and what Brown terms “inconsistent behavior,” which appears to have affected both the coherence and reliability of certain union documents Jennings was charged with overseeing.

Brown notes that the minutes of the board meeting where Jennings’ resignation was accepted — two days ago as of this writing — are “available to (any) member upon written request,” and for subsequent reading/perusal in IA’s office.

Noting what might politely be referred to as local 44’s “colorful past,” Brown talked about leadership being as forthcoming as possible during the current imbroglio. “There’s no craziness going on here. The union is solid. Every member continues to receive full representation.”
Brown noted further updates will also be available on 44’s webpage.

In any case, the “can we just get this over with, please?” faction — “Unite for Strength” — came out ahead in yesterday’s balloting. A good overview is available in a BBC article:

A breakaway faction within the Screen Actors Guild has gained a foothold on its ruling body, a win that could help break the deadlock over contract talks.

The Unite for Strength group won six of 11 Hollywood seats up for grabs in the union’s national board elections.

The insurgents also won 13 of the 22 alternate board seats in contention.

Unite for Strength blames the current leadership’s hardline stance for SAG’s failure to reach a new agreement with the major film studios.

Membership First, the faction led by SAG president Alan Rosenberg, won just five seats but still holds a majority on the board’s influential Hollywood branch.

The victorious dissidents include Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman, two stars from Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice.

‘Clear choice’

Desperate Housewives cast member Doug Savant and Chicago Hope actor Adam Arkin were also successfully elected on Thursday.

Unite for Strength claim Rosenberg has mishandled contract talks and strained relations with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), SAG’s smaller sister union.

“We offered members a clear choice - end the fighting with AFTRA and instead partner with them to create a stronger union for performers,” said Ned Vaughn, one of the newly elected alternates.

More at the link…!

By Jack Egan

With awards in eight categories, John Adams, the HBO biographical miniseries about the second president of the United States, was the big winner at the Creative Emmy Awards. Mad Men, AMC’s retro-hit about the 1950’s advertising world, was second with four Emmys.

The ceremony held on Saturday, September 13, at the Nokia Theater, honored the contributions of many behind-the-scenes production and crew professionals among the 69 awards handed out, in what was a prelude to the Primetime Live Emmys one week away.

Different John Adams episodes scored for achievements in the long-form category including cinematography, costumes, art direction, prosthetic makeup, sound editing, sound mixing and even special visual effects. “Few viewers realized there were any visual effects but we ended up with over 800 shots,” noted Paul Graff, one of the VFX supervisors for the miniseries.

There were numerous first-time Emmy winners at the Creative Awards including some who had received a number of previous nominations but come up empty-handed. Cinematographer Phil Abraham won an Emmy for his work on Mad Men. He had been nominated four times for his camerawork on seven seasons of The Sopranos. “The ambience and the mood of Mad Men, which comes through the characters, makes it such a rich playing field for cinematographers,” said Abraham.

The winning sound mixing team for Lost worked with “over 100 tracks plus sound effects and music for each show, to create a full 5.1 surround sound mix,” noted re-recording mixer Scott Weber, who was excited about winning his first Emmy.

LIST OF BELOW-THE-LINE EMMY WINNERS

ART DIRECTION FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
Stephan Olson, production designer; Susan Eschelbach, set decorator — How I Met Your Mother - (”The Yips, No Tomorrow, Miracles”) (CBS) –

ART DIRECTION FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
Bob Shaw, production designer; Henry Dunn, art director;Rena DeAngelo, set decorator — Mad Men - (”Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” - Pilot) (AMC) -

ART DIRECTION FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Gemma Jackson, production designer; David Crank, supervising art director (USA); Christina Moore, supervising art director (Hungary); Kathy Lucas, set decorator (USA); Sarah Whittle, set decorator (Hungary) –John Adams (HBO) -

ART DIRECTION FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC PROGRAM OR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Roy Christopher, production designer; Joe Celli, art director– 80th Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A HALF-HOUR SERIES
Peter Levy, A.C.S., A.S.C.–Californication - (pilot) (Showtime)

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A ONE-HOUR SERIES
Phil Abraham –Mad Men - “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (AMC)

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Tak Fujimoto, A.S.C.–John Adams - “Independence” (HBO)

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Cinematography– Team Deadliest Catch - “No Mercy” (Discovery Channel)

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING
Axel Baumann, Robert Hanna, Ulli Bonnekamp, Mark Brice, Wolfgang Hel– Carrier - “Rites Of Passage” - (PBS) -

SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A DRAMA
Lynne Willingham, A.C.E.–Breaking Bad (pilot) (AMC)

SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A COMEDY
Stuart Bass, A.C.E.–Pushing Daisies - “Pie-Lette” (ABC) -

SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Alan Baumgarten, A.C.E.–Recount - (HBO)

PICTURE EDITING FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING
Kevin Leffler, Vikash Patel, Marc Clark, Annie Tighe, Steve Lichtenstein, Sue Hoover, Katherine Griffin–Top Chef - “First Impressions” (Bravo)

PICTURE EDITING FOR A SPECIAL (Single or Multi-Camera)
Michael D. Schultz, Jim Kelly, Chad Callner– Justin Timberlake: FutureSex/LoveShow (HBO)

PICTURE EDITING OF CLIP PACKAGES (Single or Multi-Camera)
James Crowe, Bill DeRonde– American Idol (Episode 733) - (FOX)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” - “5th Year Anniversary Show (I’m F***ing Matt Damon) - (ABC) -

PICTURE EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING 
Kim Roberts; Autism: The Musical - (HBO)

COSTUMES FOR A SERIES
Joan Bergin, costume designer; Susan O’Connor Cave, wardrobe supervisor– The Tudors (Episode # 202) (Showtime)

COSTUMES FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL
Donna Zakowska, costume designer; Amy Andrews Harrell, costume supervisor; Clare Spragge, costume supervisor– John Adams - “Reunion” (HBO)

COSTUMES FOR A VARIETY/MUSIC PROGRAM OR A SPECIAL 
Shanna Knecht, Elizabeth Tagg– Frank TV - “Ballpark Frank” (TBS)

HAIRSTYLING FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
Gloria Pasqua Casny, department head hairstylist; Lucia Mace, key hairstylist; Anthony Wilson, Barbara Cantu–Mad Men - “Shoot” (AMC)

HAIRSTYLING FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
Mary Guerrero, department head hairstylist; Lucia Mace, key hairstylist; Cynthia P. Romo, Maria Valdivia”Saturday Night Live” (Host: Tina Fey) - (NBC) - Bettie O. Rogers, department head hairstylist; AnneMichelle Radcliffe, key ;hairstylist; Jodi Mancuso– Dancing With The Stars (Episode #510A) (ABC)

HAIRSTYLING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL
Alison Elliot, department head hairstylist– Cranford (Masterpiece Theatre) (PBS)

MAKEUP FOR A SERIES (Non-Prosthetic)
Sally Craven, department head makeup artist; Matthew Mungle–Tracey Ullman’s State Of The Union (Episode #102) (Showtime)

MAKEUP FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES OR SPECIAL (Non-Prosthetic)
Melanie Mills, department head makeup artist; Zena Shteysel, key makeup artist, Patty Ramsey, Nadege Schoenfeld– Dancing With The Stars (Episode #503) (ABC)

MAKEUP FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL (Non-Prosthetic)
Lisa Love, department head makeup artist– Tin Man (Sci Fi Channel) -

PROSTHETIC MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, MINISERIES OR SPECIAL
John Adams (HBO) - Trefor Proud, department head makeup artist / special makeup effects artist and designer; John R. Bayless, Christopher Burgoyne, Matthew Mungle

SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES
Michael E. Lawshe, supervising sound editor; Norval ‘Charlie’ Crutcher III, supervising ADR Editor; Jessica Dixon, dialogue editor; Marc Meyer, supervising sound effects editor; Timothy Cleveland, sound effects editor; Paul Diller, sound effects editor; Albert Gomez, sound effects editor; Casey Crabtree, foley artist; Michael Crabtree, foley artist; Chris McGeary, music editor– Smallville - “Bizarro” (CW)

SOUND EDITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL
John Adams - “Don’t Tread On Me” (HBO) - Stephen Hunter Flick, supervising sound editor; Vanessa Lapato, Dialogue/ADR Editor; Kira Roessler, dialogue editor; Curt Schulkey, dialogue editor; Randy Kelly, sound effects editor; Ken Johnson, sound effects editor; Paul Berolzheimer, sound effects editor; Dean Beville, sound effects editor; Bryan Bowen, sound effects editor; Patricio Libenson, sound effects editor; Solange S. Schwalbe, M.P.S.E., sound effects editor; David Fein, foley artist; Hilda Hodges, foley artist; Alex Gibson, Music Editor

SOUND EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING (Single Or Multi-Camera)
Erik Ewers, sound effects editor; Ryan Gifford, sound effects editor; Mariusz Glabinski, sound effects editor; Magdaline Volaitis, Sound Effects/ dialogue editor; Ira Spiegel, sound effects editor; Marlena Grzaslewicz, dialogue editor; Jacob Ribicoff, music editor–The War- “When Things Get Tough” (PBS)

SINGLE-CAMERA SOUND MIXING FOR A SERIES
Robert Anderson, production mixer; Frank Morrone, re-recording mixer; Scott Weber, re-recording mixer– Lost - “Meet Kevin Johnson” (ABC)

SINGLE-CAMERA SOUND MIXING FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jay Meagher, C.A.S., production mixer; Marc Fishman, re-recording mixer; Tony Lamberti, re-recording mixer– John Adams — “Don’t Tread On Me” (HBO)

MULTI-CAMERA SOUND MIXING FOR A SERIES OR SPECIAL
Griffin Richardson, production mixer; Tony Pipitone, re-recording mixer; Bill Marino, re-recording mixer–30 Rock - “Episode 210″ (NBC)

SOUND MIXING FOR A VARIETY OR MUSIC SERIES OR SPECIAL OR ANIMATION
Thomas Holmes, production mixer; John Harris, broadcast music mixer; Eric Schilling, broadcast music mixer; Eric Johnston, broadcast audio Playback mixer; Tom Pesa, foldback mixer; Mikael Stewart, FOH production mixer; Ron Reaves, FOH music mixer; Mike Parker, stage foldback mixer–50th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS)

SOUND MIXING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING (Single Or Multi-Camera)
Jason King, Sound mixer–American Masters - “Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends” (PBS)

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A SERIES
Gary Hutzel, visual effects supervisor; Michael Gibson, visual effects Producer; David Takemura, visual effects Coordinator; Doug Drexler, CGI supervisor; Kyle Toucher, CG artist; Sean Jackson, CG artist; Pierre Drolet, CG modeler; Aurore de Blois, senior compositor; Derek Ledbetter, compositor–Battlestar Galactica - “He That Believeth In Me” (Sci Fi Channel)

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL
Erik Henry, visual effects supervisor; Jeff Goldman, visual effects supervisor; Paul Graff, visual effects supervisor; Steve Kullback, visual effects Producer; Christina Graff, visual effects Producer; David Van Dyke, visual effects Producer; Robert Stromberg, visual effects Designer; Edwardo Mendez, Compositing supervisor; Ken Gorrell, Special Effects Coordinator–John Adams - “Join Or Die” (HBO)

LIGHTING DIRECTION (Electronic, Multi-Camera for VMC programming)
50th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS) — Robert Dickinson, Matt Firestone, Andy O’Reilly

Meanwhile, this piece just ran at C21 Media, as the “fall season” — allowing for the conceit that television still has “seasons” in the digital age — of TeeVee gets underway, and other deals, contractually-speaking, are forged:

AFTRA muscles in on SAG territory

US actors’ union the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) has begun to encroach on the terrestrial primetime jurisdiction traditionally dominated by its contract–less rival, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).

According to rules set by the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), SAG has exclusive jurisdiction over network primetime shows shot on film, but in the case of programmes shot on video, studios may go with either union.

Nonetheless, SAG has continued to dominate the terrestrial space, but AFTRA, having ratified a new three–year primetime contract with the AMPTP in July, is becoming a more attractive option.

Already this season, several major productions have gone with AFTRA cover, including such high–profile projects as The CW’s drama 90210, from CBS Paramount TV; CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, produced by ABC Studios; ABC newcomers Better Off Ted, from 20th Century Fox, and The Unusuals, from Sony Pictures TV; and an ABC pilot, Prince of Motor City, from ABC Studios.

More at the link, above.

What’s left up in the air, however, is the next IA contract, since Short liked to conclude business early with the studios, coming to what he considered a reasonable accord, never calling for a strike, etc.

Whether that amity will remain with his predecessor, the already-named Matthew Loeb, in light of shrinking economic pies everywhere, and Hollywood’s ongoing “Year of Living Dangerously,” remains to be seen. But given that Loeb helped devise Short’s negotiating policies and tactics, it would appear the studios have little to worry about in the way of a IA walkout, anytime soon.

And speaking of pies, here’s a slice of the official IA announcement on Short’s upcoming “golden years:

IA PRESIDENT THOMAS C. SHORT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Dark Knight, new day: VFX Supes Nick Davis and Paul Franklin on Batman’s new minimalism

by
Mark London Williams

Neither “The Dark Knight’s” overall VFX supe, Nick Davis, nor Paul Franklin, the specific wrangler for Brit-based post shop, Double Negative, was new to the “Batman” franchise.

In Franklin’s case, he’d been there when director Christopher Nolan rebooted the caped crusader franchise with 2005’s “Batman Begins,” overseeing D-Neg’s work in a film Franklin describes as “clearly ‘The Dark Knight’s’ antecedent, but now rather than relying on elaborate stage sets Nolan used an even broader palette of real-world locations and environments to depict Gotham and its surrounding universe. Stronger fantasy elements such as the Narrows and the Gotham Monorail were either pushed very much into the background or completely absent.

“We did have early conversations with (production designer) Nathan Crowley (who) explained to us how he was aiming to move away from the deco/Gothic look which was evident in the earlier films. and towards a cooler minimal modernist aesthetic. This in turn prompted a large amount of architectural and technical research on our part to ensure that we could accurately reproduce the materials and overall feel that Nathan described.”

It was a different feel than what Davis was used to in his previous “Batman” outings: Those came in what might be charitably called the “troubled” years of the franchise, when Joel Schumacher directed the mid-90’s installments “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin.”

Schumacher, Davis recounts, had “a ‘light’ take on Batman” (which might account for the bright neon-suffused look of the films), whereas Nolan “comes from a darker, more photo-real” perspective. That meant “not pushing any element beyond what could be accomplished in reality.”

After all, Batman, unlike his DC confreres Superman or Green Lantern, doesn’t get “power” from alien sources – he’s motivated by trauma, a lot of physical training (and, well, unlimited access to capital, and let’s hope Bruce Wayne has invested in some Euros!). He’s – in a superhero context – a “regular” guy.

So “rather than relying on elaborate stage sets, Nolan used an even broader palette of real-world locations and environments to depict Gotham and its surrounding universe,” according to Franklin. “Stronger fantasy elements such as the Narrows and the Gotham Monorail were either pushed very much into the background or completely absent.”

Or as Davis puts it, “we started with a real palette,” which in this case meant helicopter plates of Chicago (where part of the film was shot) and New York, in order to not only expand beyond the Narrows – and Batman-specific set pieces like Arkham Asylum – but to enlarge “the city – to make it much, much bigger.”

Not only was there now a specific geography to Gotham City, but as Davis notes, the “whole style and look of (this) movie is cleaner, post-modernist.”

And much of that “cleanness” would be seen on a very, very big screen, since the film is also slated for an IMAX release.

Franklin recounts there was “pressure to raise the bar – particularly with the IMAX work – (which) meant that everything needed to be comprehensively overhauled, enhanced and upgraded. The biggest advantage of having done ‘Begins’ was knowing what worked last time and what needed
improvement.

“Perhaps the biggest difference,” he continues, was “in terms of look for us was the move from working digitally at 2K anamorphic to a combination of 4K anamorphic and 5.6K IMAX. This meant that all of our tools across the 2D and 3D pipelines - which have been in continual development since completion of ‘Batman Begins’ - had to be comprehensively overhauled for ‘Dark Knight.’ We also had to carry out a major infrastructure upgrade to handle the vast amount of data that these resolutions entailed. The only constants with ‘Begins’ were the trio of core commercial packages: Shake, Maya and Renderman, though even those had gone through several releases since 2005. Key additions to our pipeline were an all-new dynamics pipeline, a new 64 bit compositing toolset, realtime 3D lighting tools and a powerful shot management system that forms the backbone of our production pipeline.”

Davis adds that the aforementioned “strain” evinced itself in the “amount of detail” suddenly necessary for the CG to stand up to IMAX scrutiny. Forty minutes of the movie were shot in original IMAX, which, word has it, explodes from the frame.

But the buildings had to stand up to larger scale, increased scrutiny.

In addition to coordinating Double Negative’s work, Davis oversaw the contribution of other digital shops like Framestore CFC, which did digital duty on a key sequence where both Bruce Wayne – and his alter ego — “pay a visit” to certain crime figures in Hong Kong.

And while neither B. Wayne nor B. Man visits Paris in this film, the City of Light was represented in the form of FX shop BUF, which oversaw a climatic sequence involving the late Heath Ledger’s already storied performance as ultimate comics villain The Joker, and how Batman brings him to ground, at last.

We can’t divulge the particulars of that digital sequence here, but it’s quite spiffy, and involves an entirely different level of “landscape” and “mapping” than the other FX work.

That said, Davis notes that “Chris is a great believer in trying to do things practically.”

Much like Batman himself. Though the Dark Knight has tools, implements, computers, even a souped up “Batpod” motorcycle.

And Nolan, well, he had Davis and Franklin.

SAG stakes fight on made-for-Internet content

Associated Press
July 18, 2008 - By RYAN NAKASHIMA — LOS ANGELES — The Screen Actors Guild on Thursday gave its most detailed explanation yet for its rejection of a final contract offer by Hollywood studios, citing shortfalls in pay and union jurisdiction on made-for-Internet productions.

In a letter to SAG’s 120,000 members, Doug Allen, the guild’s executive director, claimed the offer would allow nonunion actors into “almost all new media productions for the foreseeable future.”
Microwave Radio Communications

It said the producers’ offer also would leave out residual fees paid to actors for content that is made specifically for, and then retransmitted on, the Web.

“A program originally made for ABC.com could be available for re-viewing on ABC.com … as often as possible and forever with no residuals,” Allen wrote. “The stakes are too high to concede.”

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Artists responded with an equally detailed statement describing its Internet offer as “a major advancement” from the previous contract.

The producers have offered to mandate union coverage for Web shows that cost less than $15,000 per minute, but only if a union actor is hired. Those costing more would also be covered, regardless of who is hired.

They also offered residual payments for Internet-only shows that are rebroadcast on pay platforms like iTunes, theatrically or on television. Paid downloads of movies would trigger double the residual rate actors now receive from DVDs.

“Not a single one of these rights exists under the contract that expired on June 30 �” a contract that SAG members now must work under because of the failure of SAG negotiators to make a deal,” the alliance said in a statement.

The producers have said a final offer they made June 30 was worth $250 million in additional compensation over three years, an estimate the guild disputes.

The offer mirrors those accepted by writers, directors and the smaller actors union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

The producers alliance and the guild met Wednesday for two hours, but did not reach a deal and scheduled no further meetings. The alliance has said it is not interested in counterproposals.

The producers said if their final offer is not ratified by Aug. 15, any proposed wage increases would not be made retroactive to July 1, potentially costing actors more than $200,000 a day.

Also Thursday, the nonprofit permitting organization FilmL.A. said Hollywood producers posted their busiest quarter since at least 1993 as on-location shoots in the Los Angeles area between April and June rose 26 percent from a year ago.

The increase, mainly due to producers making up for time lost to the 100-day writers’ strike, came amid claims by the major studios that the industry had slowed to a crawl over fears of an actors’ strike.

And all we can say is –uh oh, you mean Hollywood isn’t “recession” (or “depression”) proof?

Lack of bank financing will shut down the feature pipeline faster than any guild or union action…

Paramount forced to suspend $450m financing

The credit crunch has hit home in Hollywood after Paramount Pictures, which has released a string of hit movies this year, was forced to suspend plans for a $450m film financing.

The studio has been working with Deutsche Bank on financing that would have provided funds for up to 30 films, including possible blockbusters such as the sequel to Transformers and a new version of Star Trek.

However, the bank was unable to close the financing because of a market-wide lack of enthusiasm for the deal’s senior debt component. Deutsche has subsequently decided to close its film finance unit and concentrate on other areas.

A person familiar with the negotiations said Paramount had walked away from the agreement because the terms had become too onerous. ”The terms had become unattractive compared with alternative sources of financing available to Paramount,” he said.

Although another bank may yet step in and rescue the package Paramount is likely to have to put the financing on ice until credit markets stabilise. Liquidity has dried up and although film slate deals can generate lucrative returns, potential lenders are steering clear of asset classes that are not triple-A rated.

More at the site. Tho’ registration is required…

Well, it ain’t good, but it also ain’t horrendous - a 62% ratification, while still implementing the contract, shows its holes. AFTRA appealed to members who don’t and never will work under that contract (DJs, newscasters, etc.) to ratify, knowing that they could then poach showson cable from SAG and knowing full well that the AMPTP will use AFTRA’s contract rather than SAG’s because it benefits them financially.

SAG is up against it and will have to take what they can get. There will be no strike since I don’t think, given the current climate, that SAG could even get a strike authorization vote. And there will be no lockout, since the AMPTP can’t afford that either - both PR wise and financially.

It ain’t pretty for actors, they’re not gonna get a great deal, and AFTRA should be ashamed of themselves for doing exacty what they accused SAG of - poaching shows.

An actor quoted in the LA Times, Rondell Sheridan, worked under both SAG and AFTRA contracts at Disney - same character spun off a SAG show into a show with an AFTRA contract. Same hours, same work load, same character and guess what? Not nearly the money or benefits.

AFTRA doesn’t do well by its members who work cable and the A-listers who have been pushing the contract haven’t worked under an AFTRA (or SAG) contract for years - their deals are unique.

So, the AFTRA contract isn’t great and SAG has to bargain off those numbers, but I do believe this will be resolved without a walkout or lockout and no one will be happy except for the AMPTP who will make more money.

Ugly times.

The Onion once wrote a parody article about novelists going on strike. Here in Hollywood, there are still some stakes involved. For now. But frankly, it hasn’t been a “hot streak” for unions lately, about which, more on this blog — and in print — in the days and weeks to come.

Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen the news, the LA Times doubled up their reliable showbiz bylines and had both Verrier and Eller report the news this midnight, from which we post the excerpt below:

AFTRA, in blow to SAG leaders, approves contract

A three-year pact is passed by 62.4% of the union’s membership. The larger guild, seeking a better deal, could still take the risky step of a strike authorization vote.

By Richard Verrier and Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

A campaign by the Screen Actors Guild to persuade members of a smaller rival union to vote down a new contract has foundered, an outcome that could weaken SAG’s leverage in its negotiations with the Hollywood studios.

Members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on Tuesday approved a new three-year, prime-time TV contract, dealing a blow to SAG leaders who had gambled heavily on defeating a contract they blasted as bad for actors.

The AFTRA vote — widely viewed as a barometer of support for SAG negotiators — doesn’t eliminate the prospect of a strike, but it leaves the guild with fewer alternatives. The protracted negotiations are causing uncertainty throughout Hollywood, holding up feature film productions and casting a pall over the upcoming fall TV season.

“It’s hard to not see this as a setback because they invested so much in this and drew a line in the sand,” said David Smith, a labor economist at Pepperdine University. “It’s probably going to limit their ability to negotiate for what they want.”

More at the link – and to come…