Campaign Watch: New York “SAGNOW”!?
In a bit of irony, the Membership First supported slate running in New York has named itself “SAGNOW” – perhaps an homage to the highly successful “AftraNOW” group which has swept New York elections for the past several election cycles, even though philosophically the two groups could not be farther apart.
The candidates themselves are no surprise, but the slate includes some well known names. Some known in the industry, others known only here and on other blogs.
The group’s announcement takes no position on any issues, but merely includes bland platitudes in its statements from the candidates:
NY ACTORS ANNOUNCE GUILD BOARD ELECTION SLATE:
Solidarity And Gains NOW!
A new exciting slate of New York actors, running as independent candidates for seats on the Screen Actors Guild National Board, has just been announced.
The slate is called Solidarity And Gains NOW! and is also known as SAGNOW!.
This dynamic team of NEW YORK actors is:2009 Academy Award Nominee for Best Actress- Melissa Leo; famed character actor Tony Lo Bianco; David Rasche; Celia Weston; Mitchell Green (running for New York Board and NY Division president); star of television and stage – Matt Mulhern; and Erik-Anders Nilsson.
NY CANDIDATE QUOTES:
I am confident we can unite in our effort to secure the actors fair participation in new media revenues. That’s why I chose now to run for a SAG board seat.
-Celia WestonOnly by uniting can we save our livelihoods. Then we can turn our full attention to New Media which is Now Media.
-Mitchell GreenI am seeking a position on the SAG board after being a member for over 20 years. Unity through collaboration is what makes great things possible.
-Melissa Leo“I’m a passionate advocate for the rights of actors and I would be honored by your support. Thank you.”
-Matt MulhernTo vote knowledgeably on the new, live-or-die contract in 2011, you need to know what will it mean to you in terms of dollars. Let’s end senseless New York/Hollywood conflicts. That’s why I have chosen to run.
-David RascheIt’s an honor to run with such talented, knowledgeable and diverse team of respected actors. Now is the time for SAG to unite, working towards a healthier and stronger contract in 2011.
-Erik-Anders Nilsson“I feel compelled to run for the National Board to preserve our gains, fight for improvement, look to the future and negotiate for what’s yet to come from a position of common sense and strength. I would work to bring together our membership and heal divisions in our sister unions that so many of us are members of.”
-Tony Lo BiancoBallots will be mailed to New York members on August 25th, with results known September 24th, 2009.
For more media contact information, please email us: SAGNOW2009@yahoo.com
Erik-Anders–
Are you planning to answer the questions in the questions thread? This is your chance to move the perception of you from gadfly to serious candidate for public service. I hope you avail yourself of it.
Sure, there will be people who won’t like the answers. They’ll likely respect you more for answering honestly than for not likeing the answers.
I have no idea if you have any chance of winning a seat. I do think you have a very real chance of growing as a person and your preception within SAG. Go for it.
Erik
How far back are you willing to go???
“Editorials may rarely be signed,
but right inside the paper there’s a little “plaqueâ€of sorts
that names the publisher and the editor-in-chief.”
Ah, so your problem isn’t really with anonymous posters like GORM, even though that’s where you started out, it’s with the people who run the site.
What a surprise.
Alan, Matt, Erik – you know me, each of you. I have had many meals within farting distance.
My name is….
Sagwatchicus!
Hey Erik,
Over on Showfax, you made the following statement:
“I wonder if the historic facility was in NY, would the USAN Board team have voted against it?”
Is this the kind “solidarity and gains” campaigning SAG members can expect from SAGNOW? Or do the first three letters stand for SLANDER AND GOSSIP?
Way to set the bar low, Erik. You really have no standards of decency by turning a tragic situation into a political football, do you?
Your running mates probably aren’t going to like being tied to this reprehensible garbage. If “SAGNOW decides what SAGNOW does”, you will be lucky if SAGNOW doesn’t decide to cast you adrift immediately. It’s distressing enough to think you’re from the same species, let alone the same political faction.
You’re officially becoming an embarrassment to your slate, and it took you less than a week. You’ve out-Palined Palin. That took some doing.
Way to go!
“MF and it’s like-minded political thinkers SAGNOW was able to recruit Academy Award winners and nominees like Sheen, Harris, Leo, etc. because their platform is one of *positivity* for union actors”
Positivity?
Suing their own union: positivity? Authorising hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay off the LOSERS (Wilson-Bower) of a suit against the guild: positivity? Not getting even one contract in place: positivity? Virtually shutting down Hollywood for a year by “holding out” for things that could’ve been gotten (like AFTRA) without the work-action: positivity? Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to attack a sister union and attempt to scuttle their ratification: positivity? Alienating every other union: positivity?
Maybe on Bizarro World.
“Ed. Response – We obviously have considered those issues from the first day we discussed forming the site. Our thinking remains that our credibility or lack thereof will hinge on whether what we post is accurate or not. And our rules are absolutely the same for everyone.”
Isn’t this the truth? Mr. Ruck, I sincerely enjoy your acting, but your anonymity shtick is a smokescreen. I don’t know where you get your information, but I notice that you brought up Nikki Finke, so is it fair for me to assume that you don’t have a problem with mean-spirited, self serving, gossip heavy propaganda as long as you can attach a name to it?
As for me, I get my information from many sources, and SAGWATCH is tops in my book. I don’t really have a book, and if I did, it would not sell well, but you get the idea. I don’t have a problem with people wanting to be anonymous for any reason they choose. I prefer anonymity, and not just in my “career.” I only list my name on SAGWATCH to take advantage of the great networking opportunities.
Hi my name is Marisa Redanty and I am a contributor, creator and adminstrator of SAGWATCH I also edit, manage and created the universe.
I would like to point out that this thread has over 100 comments in (what?) 48 hours?
It just shows you Alan Ruck, that this site is very vital and will continue to be.
They weren’t just hatched yesterday. People don’t ask about the identity of the moderators UNLESS they are from MF.
Why is that?
Because this is the place where great discussions take place and it is a POWERFUL tool that MF is afraid of.
That’s what I think.
BTW, did you happen to observe the Merger Discussion here?
I believe we got some great food for thought about how to proceed to the next level with Merger.
You don’t see that on “SAGActor”, Nikki Finke, ShowFax or any other blog.
Just sayin’
Getting back to topic…
SAGNow! is MF. MF clearly announced in Variety their slate, and they list the names of their MF people in NY…here’s the Vairety article (and by the wya, this was posted at many places online, so it’s not just a leaked piece to Variety, but a release from Membership First and there PR team.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006517.html?categoryid=1066&cs=1
Melissa Leo is among them, and she hosted a Membership First fundraiser in LA.
SAGNow is absolutley MF – and they reason the leopard has changed its spots is to fool a few people in NY who do not like what MF has done (or not accomplished) during its dictatorship at SAG for the past 10 years.
So, Alan and Matt (and others) you cannot keep calling yourselves ‘independent’ when you are funded by MF. And, as another poster here pointed out…independents don’t form slates, they run…well..independently! SAGNow = MF = more bad times for SAG ahead.
Have any of the other MF/SAGNot-on-your-life candidates come out to say that they are for merger as opposed to Matt’s clear intention to kill merger?
No.
So we can assume that they all feel the same way. Even though the MEMBERS they hope to serve have WANTED MERGER FOR DECADES.
That’s whatcha call a PERSONAL AGENDA. No intention of serving the NY membership. Their intention is to creep into NY and take over the board. Just like AMJ wants to do with AFTRA.
New Yorkers are too savey to fall for it.
Have any of the other MF/SAGNow-don’t-look-behind-the-curtain Candidates condemned Matt’s threats, language, insanity when posting? Have they distanced themselves from him?
Nope.
If you believe that SAGNow is NOT MF, then come right this way… I got a bridge I can sell you cheap!
Andy, since Mr. Ruck brought up Nikki Finke, I assume he has no problem with her policy of allowing comments by anonymous posters, either. Funny he should demand transparency from someone like GhostofRalphMorgan but not care that the same anonymity policy applies at both DHD and the Membership First blog.