Sigh.

The problem with demanding a “percentage” remains the same today as it did in the last negotiation.

A percentage of what?

There are a half dozen ways I know to compensate a producer for new media exhibition that don’t generate a penny in what we’ve come to know and love as traditional residual/royalty generating revenue. Pin SAG and AFTRA’s future to one option and you pretty much guarantee it won’t ever be used.

The last time, no one knew what the future would bring, so setting new media compensation was held in abeyance. Here we are, a year later and nothing much has changed. Nobody’s figured out what key unlocks the vault yet.

You remember the prophecies of immediate doom from the provision that created the “non-union” space in ultra low-budget new media creations? Has anyone seen a production from an AMPTP member that falls into that category?

Well, that’s my view. She’s toast. No more power. No power nowhere. Can’t get herself arrested.

Ask around.

MeFirst caused the Haitan earthquake, but not the aftershocks, that was the Alan & Allen jumping in behind them.

MeFirst is directly responsible for the deaths of Michael Jackson, Jean Simmons and the vacant lot that is everybody’s careers.

I’m sure SAGwatch’s got a dozen more ready to reveal; the potato famine, the macarena, the New Jersey Nets, who knows the scope of MeFirst perfidy as well as SAGwatch? We just have to wait for SAGwatch to enlighten us.

Ann Marie Johnson? Who cares what she says or implies. She is irrelevant. Ann Marie Johnson is nothing. She’s a non entity. Her statements mean nothing and she means nothing. She’s old news.

This time the producers will be facing a full fledged team of adult, educated, experienced negotiators instead of Football Doug Allen who NEVER NEGOTIATED A DEAL IN HIS FRIGGIN LIFE. NOT ONE DEAL …NOT ONE CONTRACT.

The producers will have to face AFTRA and SAG UNITED. They will face a great negotiator who is a Rhodes Scholar (David White)not to mention John McGuire (one of the the most respected men in labor) and I don’t think the producers will want to do anything more than MAKE A DEAL.

When they were faced with unprofessional hacks like Rosenberg and Allen, they took advantage just like we would have if faced with the same scenario.

This time around, the producers will go to the table and make a deal, so they can get on with running a business.

Then AFTRA and SAG will merge. Never again to return to the debacle of 2008.

One of the funniest posts in recent memory, probably in response to one of your alter egos on another system “blaming” AFTRA, was put up this evening by H.V. Baxendale. I quote, completely without permission:

AFTRA caused the Haitan earthquake, but not the aftershocks, that was the AFL-CIO jumping in behind them.

AFTRA us directly responsible for the deaths of Michael Jackson, Jean Simmons and the vacant lot that is Big Frank’s career.

AFTRA was behind the collapse of the financial markets because it created more on-camera opportunities for TV business reporters so they could be hired to take away jobs from REAL actors. Now we’re all paying for their career advancement. (Neal Caputo, Superstar!)

That big blizzard and cold wave in the Midwest? Those AFTRA weathermen throwing their weight around!

New Orleans in the Super Bowl? OK, that was mostly Favre just screwing up in the clutch again. but you can bet it made those AFTRA sportscasters happy to be able to file stories from Bourbon Street rather than Minneapolis (there’s always been friction between the sports and weather factions in AFTRA, but unlike SAG, they’ve been able to keep it to themselves until now.)

I’m sure Frank’s got a dozen more ready to reveal; the potato famine, the macarena, the New Jersey Nets, who knows the scope of AFTRA perfidy as well as Frank? We just have to wait for him to enlighten us.