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Oscar-nominated actor Sean Astin, best known for his roles in iconic movies like TheLord of the Ringstrilogy, The Goonies, and Rudy, is seeking a new title. Deadline reports that Astin has submitted a bid for and will run for president of SAG-AFTRA, the 160,000-member union that represents actors. The union is currently headed up by Fran Drescher, who has been president of SAG-AFTRA since 2021.

Running on Astin’s ticket is Michelle Hurd, known as Raffi Musiker from Star Trek: Picard, as well as roles in Blindspot and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Hurd also recently appeared in the Netflix hit, You, as psychologist Dr. Val. Hurd is running for secretary-treasurer of SAG.

Also included on Astin’s ticket are Joely Fisher (Ellen) for president of the Los Angeles Local Board, Abbott Elementary’s Lisa Ann Walter for first vice president of the Local Board, and David Joliffe (ParaNorman) to...

While the 4th of July is traditionally marked with fireworks and explosive displays of celebration, there are plenty who’d rather curl up on the couch and celebrate another one of America’s favorite pastimes: movies. There have been a number of films made that tie into the Independence Day holiday, whether you want to spend your 4th of July watching a musical about the drafting of the Declaration of Independence or a thriller about Nicolas Cage stealing it decades later, but we’ve gone through and put together a curated (and varied) list of some of the best movies to watch for the occasion. Here’s a list of Independence Day-themed movies that hit the spot.

National Treasure Photo credit:Disney

What’s more patriotic than stealing the Declaration of Independence? In this light-hearted action-adventure film, Nicolas Cage uncovers a hidden cypher on the back of the Declaration of Independence with a hairdryer,...

Creed Bratton is the most peculiar character in The Office, and there is certainly no shortage of moments that leave audiences rethinking their whole perception of him. From regularly forgetting his coworkers' names to evading the police, there are plenty of mysteries about Creed in The Office which make up some of the series' best moments. His eccentricities become increasingly perplexing throughout the series, but the strangeness is perfectly suited to Creed's accidental role in The Office. The character is a partial fictionalization of the real actor, and although his appearances are sporadic, they always provide plenty of entertainment.

With Steve Carell's infamous Michael Scott in seven seasons, or the equally peculiar Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) taking center stage, it's understandable that Creed is seemingly one of the most underrated characters in The Office. However, Creed's more nuanced character merits a more in-depth exploration. Creed tells some blatant lies...

With future seasons of Sylvester Stallone's popular crime drama Tulsa King confirmed, a show in which he plays the head of a mafia family, we can't help but be reminded of one of the actor's earlier portrayals of a gangster. By 1991, Sylvester Stallone had already starred in five Rocky movies and three Rambo flicks, cementing himself as a bona fide action star who seemed most at home on screen when he was hitting something — or rather, someone. This is part of the reason why it was so shocking when his next project was as the lead role in Oscar, a comedy from one of the great filmmakers of the genre, director John Landis.

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Oscar is a 1991 comedy film directed by John Landis, starring Sylvester Stallone as Angelo "Snaps" Provolone,...

The Office, the hit mockumentary-style sitcom about struggling paper company Dunder Mifflin, featured numerous fantastic guest stars during its tenure on NBC. Many of them recurred in multiple episodes and runners, but some were so memorable or had such an impact on the show that fans might be surprised to learn they were only in one single episode.

The beloved Dunder Mifflin family goes through its ups and downs over nine seasons, eventually all finding their happily ever afters. Still, their journeys wouldnt have been the same without the help of some amazing side characters to get there.

Brenda Witherss Reactions to Michael Scott Are Spot-On Brenda Silently Observes and Endures Michaels Leadership Course

Brenda Withers appears as Brenda Matlow in The Offices season two episode Booze Cruise, where Michael takes everyone on a leadership course aboard a booze cruise on Lake Wallenpaupack in the middle of winter. Brenda is...

The filmmakers behind prominent documentaries on casting directors and the #MeToo movement have set their sights on another Hollywood subject: the evolution of the performers’ union SAG-AFTRA.

Director-producer Tom Donahue and producer Ilan Arboleda are working on a film about the transformation of the labor organization union between 2008, when the Writers Guild of America struck film and television studios and the Screen Actors Guild considered (but ultimately did not realize) their own work stoppage, and 2024, in the aftermath of the union’s landmark 118-day actors’ strike. The film will represent the culmination of interviews that have spanned a decade conducted by the filmmakers, whose project will additionally cover the union’s history and its longtime fight to create a middle class of actors, they shared with The Hollywood Reporter.

With two previous projects under their CreativeChaos vmg banner, the filmmaking team has leveraged Hollywood narratives to tell larger stories about...

More sad news for General Hospital (Gh) fans. Deadline is reporting that Joseph Hardy, former executive producer of both Gh and Ryan’s Hope, died on June 6 of this year. He was 95 years old.

Former General Hospital Executive Producer, Joe Hardy – His Legacy

Hardy was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico on March 8, 1929. After he graduated from the Yale School of Drama, he started his career as a script editor in daytime drama. He would make his way to Broadway, and started directing, with the 1967 hit Johnny No-Trump and later Child’s Play, starring Ken Howard and Fritz Weaver, where he won a Tony Award.

He remained tied to the land of soaps, producing Love Is A Many Splendored Thing from 1967 to 1973. When 1974 rolled around, he worked on the movie, Great Expectations, starring Michael York, James Mason, and Sarah Miles, and would go on to produce two television movies in 1978, Taxi, as well...

Joseph Hardy, the stage director who introduced the enduring charmer You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, won a Tony Award for 1970’s Child’s Play and, as an executive producer in daytime drama, attempted to rescue the fading serial Ryan’s Hope with some of the most controversial changes in soap history, died June 6. He was 95.

His death was confirmed by New York’s Primary Stages Off Broadway theater company. A resident since 2020 at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, his passing was not widely reported at the time of his death.

Born March 8, 1929, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, Hardy graduated from the Yale School of Drama and began his show business career working as a script editor for New York-based soap operas. He was soon making his way into the Off Broadway world, working extensively in small theaters before making his early mark with the 1967 original production of You’re A Good Man,...

The Fourth of July is here, and with America’s birthday comes always the need to get in the patriotic spirit. There are many ways to do that of course. Fireworks are forever the go-to event; backyard barbecues and grills with hot dogs and hamburgers is another. But sometimes you might just want a bit of celluloid magic to remind you why you should care in the first place.

Whether you’re looking for a comedy or a drama, some ‘80s “USA, USA” cheese, or a genuine exploration of America’s founding, we’ve got you covered with a list of some of the most patriotic of American movies. Enjoy.

1776 (1972)

Let’s begin with the best movie about why today is called “Independence Day:” 1776. While there have been other movies about the Second Continental Congress’ travails during those sweltering days in the summer of ’76, none have truthfully been as...

Warning: This article contains extensive plot spoilers for 1776.

1776 portrays the creation of the USA as a clash of personalities as much as politics, highlighting the flaws and rhetoric of the Founding Fathers, specifically John Adams and Ben Franklin. The musical comedy also explores the struggle of competing political factions and their dilemma of fighting for their own beliefs versus the wishes of the public. With numerous artistic liberties concerning historical facts and characters, director Peter Hunt's 1776 is best viewed as a comedic drama rather than an epic saga.

While nowhere near a revisionist take on the historical genre, the 1972 Columbia-produced 1776 does attempt to frame the birth of the United States as less rosy than previous Hollywood biopics of famous figures. Including Ben Franklin's love of women of the night, the hypocrisy of Jefferson's abolitionist moralizing, and Adams' abrasive personality, the film supposedly took cues from the real...

There are many ways to celebrate the Fourth of July, but certainly one of the most fitting is by indulging in a great American pastime — watching a movie. There have been many films made about American history, from war epics to inspiring true stories, but we’ve put together a curated list of the best of the best — the most patriotic films that tackle America’s complex history in ways both grand and intimate, comedic and dramatic, awe-inspiring and fist-pump-inspiring.

Behold the best patriotic movies to watch on the 4th of July and where to stream each one.

Saving Private Ryan DreamWorks Pictures

Steven Spielberg’s 1998 film is hailed by many as one of the best World War II movies ever made, and it stands as a tribute to those who served. Set in 1944 Normandy, the story follows a group of soldiers whose mission is to find a private (played...

Jeannie Epper, the peerless, fearless stunt performer who doubled for Lynda Carter on Wonder Woman and swung on a vine across a 350-foot gorge and propelled down an epic mudslide as Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone, has died. She was 83.

Epper died Sunday night of natural causes at her home in Simi Valley, her family told The Hollywood Reporter.

Just one member of a dynasty of stunt performers that Steven Spielberg dubbed the “Flying Wallendas of Film” — starting with her father, John Epper, there have been four generations of Eppers in show business since the 1930s — she worked on 150-plus films and TV shows during an astounding 70-year career.

In 2007, Epper received the first lifetime achievement honor given to a woman at the World Taurus Awards and ranks among the greatest stuntwomen of all time.

Known for her agility, horse-riding skills and competitiveness, the 5-foot-9 Epper also stepped in...

Hollywood is in a state of crisis as the writers and stars of movies and television shows fight for their rights against big studios. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike began on May 2, 2023, after the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach an agreement concerning their new contract. The old collective bargaining agreement expired on May 1, so the WGA voted to unanimously strike the following day, and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is expected to follow in the writers' footsteps.

SAG-aftra's contract with AMPTP expired at midnight on July 13 — just a couple of months following WGA's collective bargaining agreement expiration. AMPTP represents notable studios like Netflix, Sony Pictures, Paramount Global, the Walt Disney Company, and many others, and many factors go into negotiations between AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA. Unfortunately, the two groups failed to reach...

Click here to read the full article.

Even before its March 2012 merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Screen Actors Guild expressed consternation over the revelation of actors’ ages without their permission by IMDb, the premier online entertainment industry database that boasts of its commitment “to being the most complete source of film, TV and celebrity information.”

Ken Howard, SAG’s then-president, issued a press release in the fall of 2011 complaining that “IMDb publishes the actual dates of birth of thousands of actors without their consent, most of them not celebrities but rank-and-file actors whose names are unknown to the general public.” The release added, “When their actual ages then become known to casting personnel, the 10+ year age range that many of them can portray suddenly shrinks, and so do their opportunities to work.” Howard might well have added that the same held true for motion picture and television writers who,...

“What are you staring at? Haven’t you ever seen a great man before?”

Includes Multiple Versions Of The Film 1776 (1972) And A Limited Sleeve Featuring Theatrical Artwork – Available For The First Time On 4K Ultra HD May 31St

1776 is a musical celebration of the founding of the United States of America based on the award-winning Broadway production! The story centers around the tough and unyielding John Adams (William Daniels), the charming and pragmatic Benjamin Franklin (Howard Da Silva), the brilliant young Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard), and the rest of the Continental Congress. All events lead up to that most significant historical date: July 4, 1776. Disc Details & Bonus Materials

1776 4K Ultra HD Disc Includes both the 165-minute Director’s Cut and the 167-minute Extended Cut

Both versions presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, with Dolby Atmos + 5.1 audio

1776 Blu-ray Feature Disc Includes both the 165-minute Director’s Cut and the 167-minute...

Last Year’s Winner: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, “Watchmen”

Still Eligible: No.

Hot Streak: There has never been a repeat winner in this category, and one network hasn’t won twice in a row since Tom Wilkinson (“John Adams”), Ken Howard (“Grey Gardens”), David Strathairn (“Temple Grandin”) and Guy Pearce (“Mildred Pierce”) took home consecutive trophies for HBO original programs from 2008 to 2011.

Fun Fact: Given this category consists of performers in limited series, anthology series, and TV movies, it shouldn’t be all that surprising to learn that very few programs have been represented more than a few times. “American Crime Story” leads them all with six nominations and “American Horror Story” is close behind with five.

Notable Ineligible Series: “American Crime Story: Impeachment” (the season did not air in time to be eligible); Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (submitted as a Drama Series).

At...

Fran Drescher is preparing to run for president of SAG-AFTRA now that Gabrielle Carteris has decided not to seek reelection for a third term.

The actor, known for starring in “The Nanny” and her work in many other TV series and movies, is running on a similar platform as Carteris through Unite for Strength, the faction that has held the top leadership post at SAG-AFTRA since 2009, with support from the like-minded New York-based SAG group Usan.

“I’m honored to have been asked to run,” Drescher said in a statement. “I hope to apply my experience as the president of the Cancer Schmancer Movement and my success on Capitol Hill and as a Public Diplomacy Envoy for uniting our union, increasing member benefits and giving our 160K-strong membership a more significant presence on the national landscape.”

News of Drescher’s planned run was first reported by Deadline. Anthony Rapp (“Star Trek: Discovery...

Gabrielle Carteris is not seeking re-election as president of SAG-AFTRA and has thrown her support behind Fran Drescher to succeed her in the union’s election later this summer. The Nanny star also has the support of Unite for Strength, the union’s ruling party that Carteris has led since becoming president in 2016.

Camryn Manheim, the union’s secretary-treasurer and Carteris’ running mate in 2019, also is not seeking re-election. Anthony Rapp, who stars on Star Trek: Discovery, is aiming for that post as Drescher’s running mate and also has the support of Unite for Strength. Drescher and Rapp have taken out petitions to run for their respective offices; she needed 200 signatures by 5 p.m. Thursday evening to qualify for the ballot, and he needed 150. Both received the necessary signatures.

The Unite for Strength steering group, which includes Carteris and several other guild leaders, sent an email earlier today to supporters,...

Dawn Wells, who starred as “good girl” Mary Ann in popular 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died Wednesday of causes related to Covid-19 in Los Angeles. She was 82.

Pig-tailed and attired in her ubiquitous dungarees or gingham dress, which is on display at the Hollywood Museum, the Mary Ann character was the girl-next-door to Tina Louise’s suggestive evening dress-clad Ginger, who was often subjected to leering comments from the male stars they were shipwrecked with on a tropical island after becoming stranded during a “three-hour tour.”

Louise, the last remaining member of the crew, said in a statement, “I was sad to learn of Dawn’s passing, I will always remember her kindness to me. We shared in creating a cultural landmark that has continued to bring comfort and smiles to people during this difficult time. I hope that people will remember her the way that I do – always with a smile on her face.

The cast of NBC’s crime drama Crossing Jordan have reunited in a bid to support Stacey Abrams’ nonprofit organization Fair Fight in Georgia.

Jill Hennessy, Jerry O’Connell, Kathryn Hahn, Brooke Smith, Steve Valentine and Ravi Kapoor got back together in a virtual special, which will air online on Friday, November 27.

The cast of the Tim Kring-created show tell stories of their six years on the show, which ran from 2001-06, including Hahn’s first day on a television or film set; memories of cast members Miguel Ferrer and Ken Howard, who both have died; and their support for Abrams’ organization and the work its doing ahead of the Georgia runoffs.

Crossing Jordan, which was produced by Tailwind Productions in association with NBCUniversal, ran for 117 episodes and starred Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The virtual reunion was organized by Chad Darnell,...

In June 1970, Elvis Presley made the trip east from his Graceland home in Memphis to Nashville, where he holed up in RCA Studio B on Music Row for five days of recording. Presley, who was in the midst of his Las Vegas comeback at the International Hotel, was joined by Music City sessions players like Charlie McCoy and Norbert Putnam — the legendary “Nashville Cats.” The result came to be known among fans as the “marathon sessions.”

Now, a new four-disc compilation assembles the masters from those halcyon days and captures Presley at his energetic best.

Peter H. Hunt, who won a Tony Award for his direction in 1969 of the now-classic musical 1776, helmed the 1972 film version and numerous episodes of CBS’ Touched By An Angel, died Sunday at home in Los Angeles from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 81.

Hunt’s death was reported by his wife, Barbette Hunt, to the Los Angeles Times. HIs death was confirmed by the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where Hunt was the former artistic director. He was the uncle of actress Helen Hunt.

A Broadway lighting designer through much of the 1960s, Hunt made his directorial breakthrough with the smash hit 1776, the Revolutionary War-era musical by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone. The original Broadway cast included such stars-in-the-making as William Daniels, Betty Buckley and, as Thomas Jefferson, Ken Howard. Ronald Holgate, as Richard Henry Lee, won the Tony Award...

Hayden Christensen, whom Star Wars fans mainly know as Anakin Skywalker aka the Chosen One, celebrated his 39th birthday yesterday, and the internet has been showing him some love.

It’s been a long and turbulent journey for the Prequel Trilogy and the people behind the heroes from the age of the Republic. A decade ago, fans of that galaxy far, far away would unanimously agree that The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith were terrible movies that in no way honored the legacy of the Original Trilogy. Of course, even then, some people believed that there were redeemable qualities to George Lucas’ vision, but actor Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin in the latter two films didn’t garner a positive reaction.

Suffice it to say, the actor had to go through a lot of bullying from Star Wars fans and trolls, much like...

Jerry Fogel, a longtime screen actor best remembered as the beleaguered bridegroom Jerry Buell on NBC’s 1960s sitcom The Mothers-in-Law, has died, He was 83.

Fogel, who diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008, died Monday at the Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Mo, his family announced.

The son of a Rochester, NY, movie theater owner, Fogel found his first showbiz audience in his hometown as a highly rated disc jockey for Wbbf-am, a local rock ‘n’ roll radio station. Fogel signed off in Rochester, however, when he signed up with the William Morris Agency and headed west to seek his fortune in Hollywood. His big break arrived in the form of The Mothers-in-Law, a Desi Arnaz production created by I Love Lucy writing tandem Bob Carroll and Madelyn Pugh Davis.

The show, aired from 1967-68, was about the “relative” insanity that a just-eloped couple, Jerry (Fogel) and Susie...

Jerry Fogel, who portrayed one-half of the newlywed couple hounded by the meddling Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden on the 1960s NBC comedy The Mothers-in-Law, has died. He was 83.

Fogel died Monday at a hospice facility in Kansas City, Missouri, his family announced. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.

The lanky 6-foot-3 actor also played Lt. Commander William Outerbridge in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and was Ken Howard's brother-in-law, Bill Donahue, on the CBS high-school basketball drama The White Shadow.

Fogel quit his job as a popular rock 'n' roll DJ in his native Rochester, New York, signed ...

Jerry Fogel, who portrayed one-half of the newlywed couple hounded by the meddling Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden on the 1960s NBC comedy The Mothers-in-Law, has died. He was 83.

Fogel died Monday at a hospice facility in Kansas City, Missouri, his family announced. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.

The lanky 6-foot-3 actor also played Lt. Commander William Outerbridge in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and was Ken Howard's brother-in-law, Bill Donahue, on the CBS high-school basketball drama The White Shadow.

Fogel quit his job as a popular rock 'n' roll DJ in his native Rochester, New York, signed ...

SAG-AFTRA’s national election committee has rejected a protest of William Charlton as one of seven national vice presidents elected at the union’s recent convention. La board member Peter Antico objected to Charlton’s nomination at last weekend’s convention, but was ruled out of order by president Gabrielle Carteris. Antico was then escorted out of the convention by security after he persisted.

Antico filed a protest with the union, claiming that since Charlton had been defeated in his bid to be a convention delegate, his attendance at the Delegate Welcome Reception and on the convention floor during the election of SAG-aftra national vice presidents “gave him an unfair advantage” in his VP race against actor A. Martinez.

In denying Antico’s protest, the election committee found that it had not been filed in a timely fashion, and that even if it had been, it was without merit.

Exclusive: Investigators at the U.S. Department of Labor are looking into a range of allegations of wrongdoing during and after the recent SAG-AFTRA elections. Brian Hamilton, a member of the union’s Los Angeles local’s board of directors, spent 2½ hours with Dol investigator Troy Krouse earlier this week detailing Hamilton’s charges.

“He’s a good listener and he’s a smart person,” Hamilton told Deadline about the Wednesday meeting. “He asked good questions and played a good devil’s advocate. It was like a deposition, of sorts.”

Hamilton, a founder of the Membership First opposition party, is one of 14 SAG-aftra members who filed charges with the union – all of which were dismissed by its national election committee. Having exhausted their internal remedies, he and several others are now taking their complaints to the Dol.

Hamilton’s charges are two-fold: that SAG-aftra president Gabrielle Carteris received an...

SAG-AFTRA convention delegates have narrowly re-elected Rebecca Damon to a two-year term as executive vice president of the performers union over David Jolliffe.

The margin was five votes in an election that took place Friday on the second day of the biennial SAG-aftra National Convention at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The four-day event is closed to the news media.

The exec VP slot is the second-highest elected post in SAG-aftra and shall act in the place of the president if the president is absent. Damon’s re-election is a victory for the Carteris supporters, who operate the Unite for Strength and United Screen Actors Nationwide slates.

Damon has been in the exec VP post since April, 2016, succeeding Gabrielle Carteris in the slot. Carteris became president after Ken Howard died, serving the final 16 months of his term and was re-elected in 2017 over Esai Morales and...

Nearly two weeks after Gabrielle Carteris beat Matthew Modine to be re-elected as president of SAG-aftra, the behind-the-scenes drama at the actors union continues.

On Sunday, Modine’s campaign spokesman Adam Nelson apologized for retweeting an apparent death threat against Carteris, both on his Twitter account and that of Modine’s Membership First party.

“We sincerely apologize for a retweet which was performed in error and is expressly not a shared opinion. The retweet has since been undone,” Nelson wrote. “#MembershipFirst affirmatively advocates only nonviolent protest of any election violations by Ms. Carteris.”

The original tweet, from actress and Modine supporter Daria Rumi, included the message “Let’s get rid of her once and for all! #Gabrielle Carteris” accompanied by a Gif from “Scarface” of Al Pacino wielding a high-powered rifle blowing away a squad of men behind a door.

Let's get rid of her once and for all! #GabrielleCarteris...

After one of the most openly hostile guild elections in recent Hollywood memory, SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris pulled out a victory over challenger Matthew Modine, ensuring the continued control of Hollywood’s actors guild by the Unite For Strength party for at least the next two years.

The “Beverly Hills 90210” star won 44% of the 30,837 votes cast, the union said, while Modine won 35%, SAG-aftra reported early Thursday. Jane Austin followed with 5,048 votes, Queen Alljahye Searles with 1,096 votes and Abraham Justice with 367 votes.

In addition, “The Practice” star Camryn Manheim was elected as secretary-treasurer with 52% of the ballots cast, defeating Jodi Long, Chuck Slavin and Rob Stats.

“I’m very grateful to all of the dedicated SAG-aftra members who participated in our union’s elections,” Carteris said in a statement. “Their support is humbling and I vow to fight every day on their behalf. We will keep building on our commitment to honesty,...

Gabrielle Carteris has been re-elected president of SAG-aftra, fending off challenges from Matthew Modine and three other contenders.

Carteris won handily with 13,537 votes, or 44% of ballots cast, to 10,682 for Modine and 5,048 for Jane Austin, 1,096 for Queen Alljahye Searles and 367 for Abraham Justice.

The results were announced early Thursday morning at 4 a.m. following one of the most bitter election campaigns in memory, including multiple accusations of misconduct.

Camryn Manheim won the secretary-treasurer post with 16,047 votes, or 53%, as Carteris’ running mate. She defeated Modine ally Jodi Long, who garnered 10,251 votes, followed by Chuck Slavin with 2,204 votes and Rob Stats with 1,790. The union mailed a total of 145,700 ballots, so the participation level was about 21%.

Carteris, best known for playing Andrea Zuckerman on “Beverly Hills 90210,” has been president since 2016. She and her allies in the moderate-leaning Unite For Strength and United Screen Actors Nationwide have been in control of SAG-AFTRA and SAG for a decade.

One of the most bitter SAG-AFTRA elections in memory concludes Wednesday following strident campaigns by president Gabrielle Carteris and Matthew Modine.

Both have accused the other of multiple violations in the battle for the top slot at the performers union, which has 160,000 members. The fracas has been so heated that turnout may rise above the usual 20% to 30%. Results could be announced by Wednesday afternoon.

Carteris, best known as for her portrayal of the brainy Andrea Zuckerman on “Beverly Hills 90210,” and her allies in the Unite For Strength and United Screen Actors Nationwide have been in control of SAG-aftra for a decade. Modine, whose credits include “Full Metal Jacket” and “Stranger Things,” has mounted an aggressive challenge through the Membership First slate.

SAG-aftra, WGA and the Directors Guild of America are all heading into what are sure to be complicated master film and TV contract negotiations early next year with the major studios,...

Membership First, the “loyal opposition” at SAG-AFTRA, has unveiled its slate of candidates in the upcoming elections. Patricia Richardson is running for president of the guild’s Los Angeles local, and Frances Fisher and David Jolliffe are vying for two local vice president slots. As previously reported, Matthew Modine heads the slate in his bid to unseat Gabrielle Carteris as president of SAG-aftra, and Jodi Long is running for national secretary-treasurer.

Richardson, who is the La local’s first vp, was defeated by incumbent Ken Howard four years ago in the race for president of the 160,000-member union — “We have the largest local, half the union’s members,” Richardson said in her campaign statement. “Our building, doubling as national headquarters and our home, now a construction site rented at $6,000,000 a year, is inadequate for our needs. We still have to rent other spaces for any large meetings. Thanks to Membership First,...

By Tim McGlynn

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (Paramount 1970) introduces the title character, scarred by an acid attack, as she leaves the hospital and rents a dilapidated house in small town Massachusetts. Her roommates are Arthur, an introverted epileptic and Warren, a paraplegic who is also gay. Otto Preminger’s 1970 film, based the novel by Marjorie Kellog, has been missing in action until Olive Films’ Blu-ray and DVD release.

Liza Minnelli stars in this charming story as Junie Moon, physically and emotionally damaged by a horrific encounter with a psychotic lover. Actor-Director Robert Moore is Warren, who will not be limited by his wheelchair in the pursuit of love and happiness. Ken Howard is the shy Arthur, who suffers from seizures that seem to be brought on by stress.

After renting a small bungalow from the eccentric Miss Kellog (Kay Thompson), the three set up house and...

SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris will seek re-election as the union’s top national officer and the head of the ticket for the Unite for Strength and United Screen Actors Nationwide factions.

Carteris made the announcement on Thursday, two weeks after actor Matthew Modine said he was running as the lead candidate for Membership First, the self-styled progressive faction of the performers union. Election ballots will be mailed to dues-current members on July 29 and will be tabulated on Aug. 28.

Carteris has been president since 2016, when she was voted in by the national board to replace Ken Howard following his death. Carteris headed the Unite for Strength ticket two years ago, fending off challenges from Membership First’s Esai Morales, and independents Peter Antico and Robert B. Martin, Jr. SAG-aftra’s 80-member national board is the key ruling body for the union, which has about 160,000 members.

Carteris unveiled high-profile endorsements on Thursday from Octavia Spencer,...

Veteran actor Matthew Modine is running for president of SAG-AFTRA as the head of the ticket for the Membership First faction of the performers union.

Modine was first elected as a member of the SAG-aftra national board in 2017. He’s the first candidate to announce for the presidency. Current president Gabrielle Carteris, who won a two-year term in the 2017 election, has not yet announced whether she will seek re-election.

“As a current national and local board member of SAG-aftra, it would be my honor to represent all 160,000 members of the union I have proudly been a member of for nearly four decades,” Modine said in a statement released Monday. “It is my privilege to stand up for our legacy in order to safeguard our future. There comes a time when we must work to ensure that current and future membership will be able to enjoy the basic rights...

We're looking back at the 1972 film year before the Smackdown.

by Anna

Peter H Hunt's 1776, based on the stage musical of the same name, chronicles the many woes that went into the Declaration of Independence’s creation. At the forefront of its writing are the “obnoxious and disliked” John Adams (William Daniels), the dry-witted Benjamin Franklin (Howard Da Silva), and the homesick Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard). Amid the clash of words and egos of the other delegates of Congress, will they succeed?

Recruiting many of the names involved with the original Broadway production (Producer Jack L. Warner’s attempt to atone for casting Audrey Hepburn over Julie Andrews for My Fair Lady), 1776 had the misfortune of being released the same year as another period piece musical.

Would 1776 have won more acclaim had it been released a different year?...

SAG-AFTRA’s national board has approved the proposal for its commercials contract negotiations with the advertising industry.

The talks will begin Feb. 20 in New York City, six weeks ahead of the March 31 expiration of the current three-year deal. The union’s negotiating committee will be chaired by President Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White will serve as chief negotiator.

SAG-aftra leaders have hammered out the proposal through a required series of member meetings in recent months. The union, which represents about 160,000 performers, is giving no details as to the proposal, asserting that “as a matter of longstanding union practice,” negotiating committee members are not identified and noting that it will not comment further due to a mutually agreed upon news blackout with the industry.

The contract covers about $1 billion in annual revenues for performers. SAG-aftra has held more than two dozen demonstrations in recent months against...

John Falsey, the co-creator with Joshua Brand of the groundbreaking St. Elsewhere, Northern Exposure, I’ll Fly Away, and writer of other classics of the 1980s and ’90s, died Jan. 3 in Iowa City, Iowa. He was 67.

Falsey’s death was announced to The New York Times by brother James Falsey, who said the cause of death was complications of a head injury sustained in a fall at home.

Nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, Falsey shared three wins with Brand, the first in 1987 for A Year in the Life, which won the outstanding mini-series trophy. The second and third followed in 1992, when Northern Exposure was named outstanding dramatic series and I’ll Fly Away took the best writing award for its pilot episode.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Falsey was a story editor for CBS’ The White Shadow starring Ken Howard; Brand was a writer on the show. After that show ended, Brand sold...

Marsha Hunt, Norman Lloyd, June Lockhart and Barbara Perry will receive the SAG-AFTRA Founders Award for their historic contributions to the union. The special tribute for “meritorious service” to their fellow actors will be presented Saturday at the union’s national board meeting.

“I am so honored to recognize the extraordinary achievements of these courageous actors and leaders,” said SAG-aftra president Gabrielle Carteris. “Their pioneering spirit and advocacy for their union and peers in those early years was pivotal and helped to make us who we are today.”

Hunt, who turns 100 on Wednesday, is one of the last survivors of the Hollywood Blacklist. She joined SAG in 1938 and was a SAG board member from March 1945-November 1947 under presidents George Murphy, Robert Montgomery and Ronald Reagan. In the 1950s her name appeared in “Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television,” and, like many others at the time,...

Burbank, CA – Batman: The Animated Series, the most acclaimed animated super hero television series in history, arrives this fall in an all-encompassing package befitting its revered place in the annals of fan-favorite entertainment. Remastered for the first time since its broadcast airing from 1992-1995, Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition will be available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital and in a stunning Blu-ray box set ($112.99 Srp) on October 16, 2018.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the Emmy Award-winning series captured the imaginations of generations, setting the standard for super hero storytelling for the past quarter-century with its innovative designs, near-perfect voice cast and landmark approach to DC’s iconic characters and stories. Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition box set includes all 109 thrilling episodes, plus two bonus disks containing the recently-remastered, fan favorite animated films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero.

The...

Fresh off overseeing Wednesday morning’s announcement of Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, SAG-aftra president Gabrielle Carteris is set to pay CBS’ NCIS a visit.

RelatedWhen Will Your Favorite Shows Return From the Holidays? Save the Dates!

TVLine has learned that the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum will guest-star in a late-January episode titled “Family Ties,” playing Julie Hart, the mother of a high school student who witnessed a crime that Gibbs’ team is investigating. Julie is described as having a huge heart and being fiercely loyal to her daughter — to a degree that paves the way for a bit of a twist.

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Tuesday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best show currently on TV?” can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: Which is your favorite scripted TV show about sports? Old and current shows are fair game.

June Thomas (@junethomas), Slate

I was a big fan of the Freeform show “Make It or Break It,” about the lives of a group of elite gymnasts working toward their dream of competing in the Olympics. Even typing that sentence, I know how hokey it sounds, and yes, it touched on all the clichés about women’s gymnastics – eating disorders, overburdened parents, inappropriate relationships with coaches – but you know what, all those things bubble up in the real sport with depressing regularity.

The show had more than its fair share...

Pete Antico, a defeated third-party candidate for the SAG-aftra presidency has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor over claims of cronyism and fraud in the union’s late August election. In a statement circulated to reporters, Antico said, “Regina King, Jon Huertas, and Jason George—who gave up board seats to their unelected Unite for Strength running mates—ran ‘without any intention of serving in that position.’ These duplicitous actions seemed to be designed to use one’s celebrity status to give an unethical and unfair advantage to a political party, thus undermining the democratic process created to protect the will of the membership of SAG-aftra. When you run for office, you must sign a consent to serve statement which all of the aforementioned candidates did.” The election, which was fraught with mudslinging, has proved to be a prolonged spectacle and a source of contention for some.

Gabrielle Carteris is seeking reelection as president of SAG-aftra, an individual with knowledge of her plans told TheWrap. Carteris succeeded president Ken Howard after his death last year and led the union during its recent negotiations for a new contract with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The former “Beverly Hills 90210” star’s running mate this term for secretary-treasurer will be “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jason George, who is a longtime national board member and chair of the union’s diversity advisory committee. He will run against Jane Austin. Also Read: Gabrielle Carteris Named SAG-aftra President, Rebecca Damon Executive Vice President Carteris tops.

Updated with more info: Gabrielle Carteris said today that she is seeking a second term as president of SAG-aftra. Carteris, who as Evp of the actors union had succeeded president Ken Howard after his death last year, will be running on the Unite for Strength slate. Her running mate for secretary-treasurer will be Grey's Anatomy star Jason George, a longtime national board member and chair of the union's diversity advisory committee. George said Carteris "has been a…...

(See previous post: Fourth of July Movies: Escapism During a Weird Year.) On the evening of the Fourth of July, besides fireworks, fire hazards, and Yankee Doodle Dandy, if you're watching TCM in the U.S. and Canada, there's the following: Peter H. Hunt's 1776 (1972), a largely forgotten film musical based on the Broadway hit with music by Sherman Edwards. William Daniels, who was recently on TCM talking about 1776 and a couple of other movies (A Thousand Clowns, Dodsworth), has one of the key roles as John Adams. Howard Da Silva, blacklisted for over a decade after being named a communist during the House Un-American Committee hearings of the early 1950s (Robert Taylor was one who mentioned him in his testimony), plays Benjamin Franklin. Ken Howard is Thomas Jefferson, a role he would reprise in John Huston's 1976 short Independence. (In the short, Pat Hingle was cast as John Adams; Eli Wallach was Benjamin Franklin.) Warner...

Esai Morales has announced that he's running for president of SAG-aftra. He will be joined on the Membership First ticket by Jane Austin, who is running for re-election as national secretary-treasurer. This will be Morales' second run for the presidency; he was defeated by Ken Howard in 2013. SAG-aftra president Gabriella Carteris hasn't announced yet, but is expected to seek re-election. Peter Antico has also announced that's he's running for the presidency. "One of my…...

Esai Morales has announced that he's running for president of SAG-aftra. He will be joined on the Membership First ticket by Jane Austin, who is running for re-election as national secretary-treasurer. This will be Morales' second run for the presidency; he was defeated by Ken Howard in 2013. SAG-aftra president Gabriella Carteris hasn't announced yet, but is expected to seek re-election. Peter Antico has also announced that's he's running for the presidency. "One of my…...