Remember, it’s Variety…
We’re not sure which tea leaves they’re inspecting, but the trade rag says SAG’s moderates are gaining momentum, and the union “may be about to turn a corner toward moderation.”
The piece also quotes Unite for Strength leader Ned Vaughn, speaking of the upcoming SAG election cycle:
“Merger is going to be a major part of our campaign,” admits Ned Vaughn, a key leader of the Unite for Strength faction.
I have absolutely no way of knowing if Variety is accurate, but all the antics of the hardliners over the last year or so should be pushing the union toward moderation. I for one will be very interested in not only this contract vote, but the upcoming election votes as well.
it is beyond comprehensible to me that there are members out there who can justify and even support the Membership First platform. Bully, bully, lie, lie, bully, bully and if all else fails, sue. They have accomplished NOTHING but turmoil in their time as the majority.
Stinkki thinks Martin Sheen will be running against Jamie Cromwell for SAG Prez.
VG
–
Admin. Comment – That’s going to ruin AMJ’s whole day. But then, it could ruin Sheen’s, too. The guy can’t read a contract?
Now there’s the invigorated, adaptable youth the guild needs to run smoothly in these trying times… [/end snark font/].
Personally, I think the term “moderate” is wrong – it should be “level headed”. The Non MF – UFS/USAN/NY/RBD…whatever, but the Non-MF are members who think first calmly, look at the options, think long term and act….unlike … well, you know.
Sadly, many hardliners view moderation as weakness, and an inability to hold fast to a convicted stance.
They are wrong.
There is nothing weak about a thoughtful, purposeful, and thouroughly educated approach to negotiations.
Doc, you’re right: that also defines “levelheadedness.”
For SAG to remain solvent and relevant, level heads MUST prevail.
In the end, when all that’s left is sawdust and glitter, and we’re all moving through it with push brooms, maybe we’ll know more about what drives such destructive forces as MF.
But by then we may no longer care.
V.
Cromwell out-Presidents Sheen 4-2.5.
Cromwell played Johnson, Bush I, and two fictional ones, including one on “West Wing.”
Sheen played JFK, plus he had “West Wing” and gets half credit for the role of Greg Stillson in “The Dead Zone,” who would have been elected if Christopher Walken hadn’t shot at him.
I gotta think AMJ is hearing footsteps at the moment. My guess is that she runs anyhow and ensures SAG has another plurality president to succeed Alan “47% is a bigger mandate than 53%” Rosenberg.
Watch them pull a Bill Daniels-type out of their hat at the last minute.
Beware of a last minute, MF-supported candidate who plays as a MODERATE.
That’s the candidate who, once elected, will be run by the puppetmaster(AMJ).
We’ve seen that B-class horror flick already … and we know how it ends.
V.
Do you think AMJ would be happy continuing to pull the strings, considering what a great success she’s had to this point?
I think her idea of a slick position would a seat on the NB of AFTRA, and at the same time she’s the puppetmaster at SAG. In her book, that’s ‘step one.’
She’s already said of AFTRA, “I don’t know how it’s run, but I want to run it.”
So let’s play crystal ball for a minute … she’ll begin to move her angry, contempt-filled self up through the ranks of AFTRA, with her eye on the national Pres seat. Not to HOLD the seat, but to CONTROL it.
It’s just so … Chuck Sloan-esque, isn’t it? He’s the guy who put Daniels in as pres of SAG, and who said, “I could be the God of SAG if I wanted to …”
Imagine, if you will, one puppetmaster controlling two presidents – SAG & AFTRA.
I doubt it will happen, but who actually ever believed SAG would be in the mess it’s in right now?
The above scenario puts such a spin on the “man behind the curtain” routine that if you think about it too long it can make your head explode.
V.
Whatever happened to Chuck Sloan, anyway?
VG
Oh, trust me – he (Chuck Sloan) continues to hover and influence, just out of shooting range.
He’s also paid (or has been in the recent past) by the SAG Foundation to advise actors on tax issues.
V.