Search Results for: “SAG-AFTRA”

Oregon SAG-AFTRA Office Will Close Despite Pleas

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday May 7, 2013 @ 7:45pm PDTTags: SAG AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA is holding firm to its decision to shutter the local union office in Oregon despite the pleas of Oregon’s SAG-AFTRA members and the Oregon Media Production Association trade group. SAG-AFTRA announced a nationwide restructuring last month, resulting in the closure of 10 of its 25 offices and the layoff of 60 staffers. The union said the move was necessary to help correct a $6 million structural deficit. The trade group says closure of the union’s local office would be detrimental to the state’s film industry. SAG-AFTRA responded below:

“We appreciate our positive collaboration with our many partners across the country, including the Oregon Media Production Association. Our members live and work daily in areas throughout the nation and globe, and we will never be able to establish or maintain brick-and-mortar offices in all of these locations. Despite this, and whether or not we have a physical office in a particular locale, we are still responsible for enforcing our contracts, and ensuring that claims and payments are made to our members. This restructuring effort focuses our staff in 15 major media markets around the country, and allows us to provide better and more effective services to all members, wherever they work. That is our goal and, with a better alignment of our limited resources, we expect to deliver on this goal more effectively as we move forward. We are responsible for enforcing our contracts, ensuring that claims and

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SAG-AFTRA Sets 2013 Elections Calendar

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday April 21, 2013 @ 7:09pm PDTTags: Big Deals Film, Big Deals TV, SAG AFTRA

The SAG-AFTRA National Board reviewed the union’s candidate elections policy and schedule for the 2013 national elections calendar (all times PDT): The election calendar in locals varies slightly.

May 15 - Nominating petitions available.

June 14 (5 PM) - Deadline for submission of petitions and any other required materials.

June 17 - Cutoff for voting eligibility. Members must be in good standing for the 11/01/12 and/or 05/01/13 dues period.

July 16 - Ballots mailed.

August 15 (6:30 AM) - Deadline for receipt of voted ballot (in designated election PO Box).

September 26-29 - Convention Elections.

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Still No Details On Merger Of SAG & AFTRA Pension, Health, Retirement Plans

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday April 21, 2013 @ 6:50pm PDTTags: SAG AFTRA

The SAG-AFTRA National Board also said today it received news about the progress of the SAG and AFTRA pension, health and retirement plans merger – but provided no details (again) to members:

The Board received a report on the progress of reciprocity and/or merger of the SAG-Producers Pension & Health Plans and the AFTRA Health & Retirement Plans. The trustees of both organizations, which are separate from the union, have established working committees to look at the issue of reciprocity and, ultimately merger between the plans. Discussions are progressing between the two organizations.

The national board met April 20 and 21 in Los Angeles. The meeting was adjourned at 3 p.m.

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SAG-AFTRA OKs Staff Layoffs & Office Closures

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday April 21, 2013 @ 6:39pm PDTTags: SAG AFTRA

The SAG-AFTRA National Board also today approved the layoff of 60 staffers beginning in May as the organization shutters 10 of its 25 offices. This reduction of its geographical footprint is surprising, considering that current SAG leadership came to power campaigning on a platform of spreading power outside Hollywood:

In other action, the board approved a fiscal year 2014 budget that will lead to a strategic restructuring of the union’s operations. The plan corrects a roughly $6 million structural deficit between revenue and expenses relating to pre-merger legacy costs of the prior organizations.

The restructuring process calls for the consolidation and closure of 10 of the union’s 25 offices nationwide, and will reduce staff by about 60 positions across the country. The staff reductions will begin in early May.

The moves are designed to position the union for strength and growth in major media markets and emerging production areas, and to ensure that institutional resources are focused on core operational functions and improved member services.

“This weekend, our leadership made several critical decisions confirming a strategic path that refocuses this organization on core principles. We have addressed a structural deficit that relates to legacy costs and positions the union for long-term health and power. These moves ensure that we can adapt to the evolving industries in which our members earn a living, and are better able to protect them wherever they work around the world,” White said.

Howard said: “Restructuring

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SAG-AFTRA National Board Approves Commercials Contracts Deal With Ad Industry

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday April 21, 2013 @ 5:31pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, SAG AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA announced today that the deal reached with the ad industry April 7 on new television and radio commercials contracts was approved unanimously after National Board meetings this weekend. Next, it will be sent to the full membership of 160,000 for ratification. For the first time, the SAG-AFTRA single union has included the documents about what the tentative commercials contract says: They are located here and here.

LOS ANGELES (April 21, 2013) – The SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors met in Los Angeles April 20 and 21 and took action on several items including approval of the recently negotiated commercials agreements.

The National Board unanimously approved the deal reached with the ad industry Apr. 7 on new television and radio commercials contracts. The contracts will result in $238 million in wage increases and other payments for all categories of performers, improvements in cable use fees, increases in payments for work on the Internet and new media platforms, and an increase in the late payment fee. Formal negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the advertising industry began on Feb. 14 and concluded April 6.

Summary of New Provisions 2013 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract
Summary of New Provisions 2013 SAG-AFTRA Radio Recorded Commercials Contract

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AHA’s Animal Film/TV Confab “Productive” Today

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday April 17, 2013 @ 4:16pm PDTTags: AHA Film & TV Unit, American Humane Association, Hollywood animals

Diane Haithman is a Deadline contributor:

UPDATE: The American Humane Association’s planned industry confab took place this morning at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to discuss issues surrounding the monitoring of animal action on film and television sets. After the event, AHA spokeswoman Jody Frisch told Deadline the meeting was a “productive exchange of ideas” with total attendance 45-50 people including panelists and guests. One news report claimed only Warner Bros had accepted the invite that went out weeks ago, but Frisch told Deadline that “yes” responses continued coming in early this morning. She confirmed invitees included representatives of “any and all filmed entertainment” but noted “we’d like to see more participation”. The names of the attendees were not made public at the closed-to-the-press roundtable discussion described as “a small private affair” at the Academy’s North Hollywood headquarters. Deadline confirmed that notably absent from the invite list were Hollywood’s professional animal trainers. They have a love-hate relationship with the American Humane Association — the group behind the well-known “No Animals Were Harmed” seal of approval for movies and TV — which oversees their work. Frisch told Deadline trainers were not invited because the event was geared to educate the production side of the industry. But trainers were represented on the panel, however, as part of what Frisch said were “a mix of industry executives, producers, writers and directors along with trainers, veterinarians and AHA representatives”.

The reasons for Wednesday’s meeting? Mostly money. AHA is now solely funded by the nonprofit Industry Advancement and Cooperative Fund overseen by SAG-AFTRA and says it needs more dollars to continue overseeing an explosion in productions worldwide. This despite the fact that more films are using CGI for animal action than in the past. Still, Life Of Pi, for example, used 4 live tigers along with computer-generated ones. In 2002-2003, Frisch said AHA monitored 2,392 days of animal production and issued about 144 certifications. In 2012, the organization monitored about 3,500 days of action and handed out about 570 certifications. Far-flung locations call for more travel than ever before. And the organization has added a veterinary adviser and a scientific committee. “It’s difficult. We’ve grown about 395%, and our grant has really only increase about $600,000 over the last 10 years,” Frisch said. Read More »

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‘Star Trek’ Phaser Rifle Nabs $231K

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday April 7, 2013 @ 2:36pm PDTTags: Auction, Star Trek

The prop weapon created for Star Trek‘s William Shatner was only expected to bring in $50,000 on the auction block. But Saturday’s $231,000 score led a slew of film-related memorabilia sales at Hollywood Legends’ two day auction, Reuters reports. Also sold: The alien survey buggy from Alien snagged $10,625, Christopher Reeve’s Superman IV costume went for $25,000, and Marilyn Monroe’s Some Like It Hot bra fetched $28,125.

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SAG-AFTRA & Ad Industry Reach Tentative New Commercials Contracts Deal

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Saturday April 6, 2013 @ 9:11am PDTTags: Big Deals Film, Big Deals TV, SAG AFTRA

After almost two months of talks, SAG-AFTRA and the advertising industry early today struck a deal on new television and radio commercials contracts. If approved by the union’s National Board of Directors at its April 20 to 21 meeting, these agreements are intended to replace the last three-year contracts that formally expired on March 31. The negotiations, covering contracts with about $1 billion in yearly earnings, were the first contract talks conducted by the union since SAG and AFTRA merged last March. However, with now typical SAG-AFTRA secrecy, the union said today that no details of the new agreements would be made public to anyone including union members in advance of the Board’s review. Once the board has signed off, the deal will be sent to the full membership of 160,000 for ratification. SAG-AFTRA co-President Roberta Reardon did say in a statement Saturday that “we’ve made essential gains for SAG-AFTRA members and I couldn’t be more pleased.”

Talks on a new three-year contract started on February 14 in NYC between SAG-AFTRA and the Joint Policy Committee from the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers. All parties granted one-week extensions of the previous contracts on March 26 while negotiations continued. The sit-down between the 34-member SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee (26 seated members and 8 alternates) and the Industry concluded April 6, at 1:49 AM EDT in NYC. Reardon, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator David White, Negotiating Committee Vice … Read More »

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SAG-AFTRA Puts Smackdown On Hollywood Audition Tapes Auction

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday April 2, 2013 @ 2:47pm PDTTags: SAG AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA has halted an auction of audition tapes that was set for this week at Julien’s Auctions. The union claims such tapes are private and protected under SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreements. The Beverly Hills-based auction house had advertised the sale of a variety of casting videos as part of its Hollywood Legends auction Friday and Saturday. A posting on Julien’s website said the videos included Leonardo DiCaprio’s audition for the role of Ponyboy in The Outsiders; Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr, Keanu Reeves and Dermot Mulroney for the film Backdraft; and Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Patrick Dempsey and others for roles in A Beautiful Mind among others. They were expected to nab between $2,000-$4,000 each. The auction includes more than 800 pieces of Hollywood memorabilia besides the tapes. Here’s the statement SAG-AFTRA released today: Read More »

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SAG-AFTRA & Ad Industry Extend Commercials Contracts A Week As Talks Continue

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Tuesday March 26, 2013 @ 2:56pm PDTTags: Big Deals Film, Big Deals TV, SAG AFTRA

With just days to go until the March 31 expiration of the current commercials contracts, SAG-AFTRA and the advertising industry today announced they’ve agreed to extend the deals another week while negotiations continue. Talks on a new three-year contract started on February 14 in NYC between the union and committees from the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers. These are the first contract talks since SAG and AFTRA merged last year. Read the joint statement here: Read More »

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VFX Community Calls For Trade Org, Contract Standards And/Or Union At Lively Town Hall

By JEN YAMATO | Friday March 15, 2013 @ 4:00pm PDTTags: IATSE, Rhythm & Hues, VFX

VFX 2013Unionization and the creation of a trade association topped the priorities at a visual effects biz town hall meeting Thursday in Los Angeles where hundreds of VFX professionals gathered to discuss the state of their troubled industry. Despite calls for solidarity within the global community and a general sense of accord, a tense volley of boos erupted halfway through the panel when Visual Effects Society rep Mike Chambers took the mic and mentioned the organization’s call for larger California subsidies made in an open letter last month. In the letter the VES had announced plans to hold a VFX Congress, which has yet to materialize. “What are you going to do?” shouted one audience member to Chambers, who had no answer for his group.

Related: VFX Oscar Protesters Grow To 400 As Pros Plead Their Case

The exchange highlighted the most crippling challenge currently facing VFX workers: With no organized body other than the strictly honorary VES, artists have no leverage as the current system continues to squeeze their employers for slim profit margins. Among the industry wide issues identified by keynote speaker Scott Squires: A flawed studio-VFX house business model, too much competition, and job-migrating subsidies. Panelists and audience members also decried the strains on health and home life endured by individual VFX artists at the bottom of the VFX food chain. Unpaid overtime, long work weeks and a lack of healthcare benefits are common for visual artists, who comprise one of the last remaining sectors in Hollywood that is not yet unionized.
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Screen Actors Guild Announces Key Dates For 20th Annual Awards

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday March 8, 2013 @ 1:51pm PSTTags: SAG, Screen Actors Guild Awards

SAG Awards Committee Chair JoBeth Williams today announced the key dates for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards set for Saturday, January 18, 2014. The awards ceremony will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 8 PM ET. Williams also announced that longtime SAG Awards producer Kathy Connell will now serve as executive producer. Submissions for nomination consideration will open on Monday, July 8, 2013, at sagawards.org/submissions. Nominations will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013, at the Pacific Design Center’s SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood, carried live on TNT, tntdrama.com and www.tbs.com. Click over for upcoming key deadlines and events leading to the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Read More »

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SAG-AFTRA Names New England Local Executive Director

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday March 4, 2013 @ 1:36pm PSTTags: SAG AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA has named Susan Nelson of Vernon, CT its new Executive Director for its New England local. Nelson assumed her new position on Friday. Since 2008, Nelson has served as counsel to the Connecticut State Employees’ Association, SEIU Local 2001 in Hartford, CT. She will be officially introduced at the upcoming New England Local Annual Membership Meeting on April 1st.

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SAG-AFTRA Kicks Off Commercials Contract Talks In NYC

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday February 14, 2013 @ 11:56am PSTTags: SAG AFTRA

UPDATE: Keeping with their usual taciturn approach, SAG-AFTRA issued a brief statement saying that the first day of their talks with the ad industry over Commercials Contracts was “cordial and positive.” The union also said that both parties have agree on a media blackout and that they “will have no further comment” on the negotiations.

PREVIOUSLY, 11:56 AM: In its first contract negotiation since last spring’s merger, the now united SAG-AFTRA is sitting down today in New York for talks with the ad industry over its Commercials Contract. Covering about $1 billion in yearly earnings, the current three-year agreement expires March 31. SAG-AFTRA has been tight-lipped about anything to do with today’s talks with committees from the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers. On February 3, the union board approved a package of proposals for the upcoming negotiations but provided no details about what was in them or what they were looking for compared with the last deal, which was inked in 2009. There has been no indication the union plans to move toward a strike like in 2000, when SAG and AFTRA went out on a six-month action after talks with the ad industry collapsed primarily over how Internet ads would be covered. The current talks originally were set to start last year, but SAG-AFRTA  said in late July it was cancelling early bargaining due to “data challenges encountered during the … Read More »

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Paul Schrader Cuffs SXSW Organizers For Rejecting And Trashing His Lindsay Lohan Film ‘The Canyons’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday February 6, 2013 @ 1:32pm PSTTags: Lindsay Lohan, Paul Schrader, SXSW, The Canyons
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: If a film festival not only rejects your film but publicly declares there is “an ugliness and a deadness to it,” and it’s not about zombies, well them’s fighting words. After all, filmmakers submit to festivals dreaming of raves, publicity and distribution deals. Paul Schrader‘s latest film The Canyons is not a zombie film, and he is more than a little pissed that an unnamed SXSW “insider” trashed the Lindsay Lohan-starrer to Hollywood Reporter, which attributed the rejection to “quality issues.”

So forgive the heralded Taxi Driver scribe if he goes a little Travis Bickle on SXSW and its director, Janet Pierson.

“This was outrageous,” Schrader tells me. “Confidentiality is sacrosanct in the festival submission process and this was amateur hour. I’ve been around it a long time and you cannot get responsible people to even say they saw the film, if it isn’t in the festival. We received a private apology, but I didn’t get a public one. The first excuse that came from Janet Pierson was really lame, basically saying, we didn’t do it. It was Nixonian in nature. In the second go-around, she said, well, it was done, but it will never happen again. The irony is, it came in an article about the SXSW schedule, and the headline is about the film that isn’t in the festival.”

… Read More »

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Latest SAG-AFTRA Board Meeting Provides No Commercial Talks Details To Members

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday February 3, 2013 @ 12:47am PSTTags: SAG AFTRA

And the needless secrecy continues. No details about the package of proposals for commercials negotiations starting February 14th in NYC. No details about the progress of merger efforts between SAG’s and AFTRA’s health and pension funds. Here’s the news release:

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK (Feb. 2, 2013) – The National Board of Directors of SAG-AFTRA met in a scheduled one-day video plenary this weekend at both the James Cagney Board Room in Los Angeles and the Leon Janney Board Room in New York.

The Board approved a package of proposals for commercials negotiations presented by Assistant National Executive Director for Contracts Ray Rodriguez. The proposal package was recommended by the W&W Plenary Committee and Commercials Negotiating Committee.

National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator David White said, “While there are difficult issues to negotiate ahead, we anticipate a productive dialogue with our bargaining partners and expect a result that is positive for our members.”

Negotiations with the Joint Policy Committee (JPC) of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) commence on Feb.14 in New York. Additional reports were given by Co-Presidents Roberta Reardon and Ken Howard, as well as National Executive Director David White. The board also received a report on governance matters.

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TNT & TBS Renew SAG Awards For 3 More Years As Show’s Demo Ratings Inch Up

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday January 28, 2013 @ 3:08pm PSTTags: Big Deals TV, SAG Awards, TBS, TNT
Nellie Andreeva

TNT and TBS have signed a new three-year deal with SAG-AFTRA to carry the annual SAG Awards. Last night’s live simulcast of the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on the two cable networks drew a total of 5.2 million viewers, including more than 2.1 million adults 18-49. That was roughly on par with last year’s telecast, up 5% in the coveted 18-49 and down 1% in total viewers. “The SAG Awards are a perfect fit for TBS and TNT, giving us the opportunity each year to target comedy and drama fans with a star-studded night celebrating the best in television and movie acting,” said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, and TBS. “We are thrilled that TNT and TBS will continue to be home of one of the awards season’s premier events.” Here are the stats:

Related: SAG Awards TV: ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Modern Family’ Top Field Read More »

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SAG Awards TV: ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Modern Family’ Top Field Of Fresh Drama, Returning Comedy Winners, Alec Baldwin Completes ’30 Rock’ Sweep

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday January 27, 2013 @ 8:17pm PSTTags: SAG Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards
Nellie Andreeva

On TV, comedies repeat much better than dramas. SAG-AFTRA applied that rule to its awards this year, picking first-run winners on the drama side and repeat ones in comedy.

The biggest surprise of the night came in the final TV category, best ensemble in a drama series, which went to British import Downton Abbey. Only five actors of the show’s 22-member cast were on hand to accept the award, and all appeared stunned. “Shut the french windows!,” co-star Phyllis Logan exclaimed Downton Abbey-style for one of the most original winner reactions ever. This marked the first SAG Award for Downton Abbey in its first year competing as a drama series against such heavyweights as Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men and Breaking Bad.

Related: SAG Awards Winners: ‘Argo’ Cast, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence

In the individual drama acting categories the SAG Awards corrected some head-scratching previous snubs. Bryan Cranston won his first SAG Award for his acclaimed performance on AMC’s Breaking Bad. And Homeland’s Claire Danes landed her first SAG Award for her role after the Showtime drama was inexplicably shut out from the nominations last year. Cranston ended his SAG Award drought in a big way, winning twice tonight, also sharing in Argo‘s best feature ensemble win.

SAG-AFTRA members love Alec Baldwin. “Oh my god, this is ridiculous,” were Baldwin’s first words when taking the stage to accept his seventh consecutive SAG Award, completing his streak of winning the award for every season of his departing NBC comedy 30 Rock. The series, whose finale airs on Thursday, received a nice farewell tonight, with statuettes for both of its stars, Baldwin and series creator Tina Fey. Fey used her acceptance speech to plead for viewers to watch the 30 Rock series finale, which airs against CBS’ juggernaut The Big Bang Theory. “Just tape The Big Bang Theory for once for crying out laud,” Fey said. Read More »

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Screen Actors Guild 2013 Awards: ‘Argo’ Cast, Daniel Day-Lewis In ‘Lincoln’, Jennifer Lawrence In ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, Anne Hathaway in ‘Les Miserables’, Tommy Lee Jones In ‘Lincoln’, ‘Downton Abbey’ Cast, Bryan Cranston In ‘Breaking Bad’, Claire Danes In ‘Homeland’, Julianne Moore In ‘Game Change’, Kevin Costner in ‘Hatfields & McCoy’, ‘Modern Family’ Cast, Tina Fey & Alec Baldwin In ’30 Rock’

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday January 27, 2013 @ 6:19pm PSTTags: SAG Awards

UPDATED WITH ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES: The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were televised tonight on TNT and TBS live from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The casts of Warner Bros’ Argo, PBS’ Downton Abbey, and ABC/Twentieth TV’s Modern Family won. Lead Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis for DreamWorks’ Lincoln noted that an actor murdered Abraham Lincoln. ”So it’s only fitting that, every once in awhile, an actor tries to bring him back to life again.” For lead Actress, Jennifer Lawrence for The Weinstein Company’s Silver Linings Playbook won and so did Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables and Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln for Supporting Actor. Is this all a precursor for the Oscars? The SAG Award — called ‘The Actor’ — is presented for outstanding performances in motion pictures and primetime television. The winners for performances in 2012 including the distinctive ensemble awards and the stunt ensemble honors are chosen by two separate film and television nominating panels, each comprised of 2,100 members from across the U.S. that were randomly selected this spring. All eligible voting members of SAG-AFTRA cast ballots by January 25th.

The show kicked off with “I Am An Actor” speeches, a legacy from when the Screen Actors Guild Awards first came on the scene in 1995 and Angela Lansbury’s introductory speech at the ceremony was such a hit that it launched a tradition that has become a highlight of the annual show. This year’s Actors Stories were from Jane Krakowski, Chris Tucker, Helen Hunt, Hal Holbrook, Alfre Woodard, Darren Criss, and Sofia Vergara. Helen Hunt: “I’ve been a waitress, a cuckoo clock, a quarterback and a sex surrogate. I’m Helen Hunt and I’m an actor.” But the funniest was Sofia Vergara who joked that growing up in a traditional Catholic home, her father told her that if she did anything artistic, “I was going to look like a hooker. I told him, “With these huge boobs I inherited, I already look like a hooker.”

This year’s 49th annual Life  Achievement Award was presented to TV/movie legend Dick Van Dyke who looked amazingly young but told the cheering and standing crowd, “That does an old man a lot of good. Such a thrill.” He noted that both Carl Reiner and Mary Tyler Moore were both sick with flu and therefore absent. “I’m looking at the greatest generation of actors in the history of acting. You’ve all lifted the art to another place now. If I can refer to you as my peers, I’m a happy man.”

SAG-AFTRA Co-Presidents Ken Howard and Roberta Riordan appeared onstage together during the show. “Hello Mr. President,” Howard said to Reardon. “I couldn’t resist. Landmark year for SAG awards, not just 19th time, but first time since” the two unions united. [...After a bruising multiyear battle.] Now that’s done, Reardon called SAG-AFTRA “the newest strongest union for entertainment and media”.

Jeff Margolis is executive producer and director and his Jeff Margolis Productions produces the awards telecast in association with SAG-AFTRA. Kathy Connell has produced the Screen Actors Guild Awards since its inception and is also SAG-AFTRA’s assistant national executive director of awards and national programming. The Awards Committee for Screen Actors Guild — Chair JoBeth Williams, Vice Chair Daryl Anderson, Committee members Scott Bakula, Shelley Fabares, Paul Napier and Woody Schultz — oversees all stages of the production.

On the scene are Deadline Awards Columnist Pete Hammond, Awardsline’s Anthony D’Alessandro, and Deadline/Awardsline contributor Diane Haithman:

SAG AWARDS WINNERS

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
ARGO (Warner Bros. Pictures)
BEN AFFLECK / Tony Mendez
ALAN ARKIN / Lester Siegel
KERRY BISHÉ / Kathy Stafford
KYLE CHANDLER / Hamilton Jordan
RORY COCHRANE / Lee Schatz
BRYAN CRANSTON / Jack O’Donnell
CHRISTOPHER DENHAM / Mark Lijek
TATE DONOVAN / Bob Anders
CLEA DUVALL / Cora Lijek
VICTOR GARBER / Ken Taylor
JOHN GOODMAN / John Chambers
SCOOT McNAIRY / Joe Stafford
CHRIS MESSINA / Malinov

Ben Affleck talked about “the incredible people in Argo, they spoke English and Farsi. One thing that those who spoke Farsi have in common with us is that they wanted to kill to make this movie better. And that’s what actors do all over the world, everyday. We are in your debt.”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Abraham Lincoln – LINCOLN (Touchstone Pictures)

Daniel Day-Lewis thanked “all my brothers and sisters in the Screen Actors Guild” and offered his “deepest respect to my fellow nominees.” He said he was sorry that Joaquin Phoenix and fellow cast members who gave their Lincoln characters the “kiss of life” weren’t there. Day-Lewis thanked Leonardo DiCaprio and Liam Neeson for their support. But he unexpectedly drew a big laugh by saying that he set out to perform the role with the Hippocratic oath in mind: “First, do no harm. But then it occurred to me that an actor murdered Abraham Lincoln.  So it’s only fitting that, every once in awhile, an actor tries to bring him back to life again.”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Tiffany – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (The Weinstein Company)

Jennifer Lawrence beamed: “Oh my god! This is incredible. Thank you so much. I want to thank MTV, but I’ll explain that in a moment. I earned my SAG card when I was 14. I did an MTV promo Super Sweet Sixteen. I remember receiving the card in the mail. It made me a professional actor, putting me in a category with all of you and now I have this naked statue in front of me. It’s an un-describable feeling.  I want to thank David O Russell. You made a movie for your son so he wouldn’t  feel alone and misunderstood. And I can speak on behalf of all us: you helped so many sons and daughters. Bradley, my performance wouldn’t be good without you. And Harvey, I don’t even know what to say. You’re a rascal. You’ve nourished the filmmakers that nourish me.”
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