The Headline:
Reardon Named to the Hollywood Reporter’s ‘18th Annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 List’
A labor leader can gain power two ways: One by standing up for the union’s membership or, two, by selling them out. Gosh, I wonder which one Reardon is? One clue: as actors income sinks, her status with producers rises.
Hey, but not to worry SAG, with Ken Howard as president, he most likely will end up on the male most powerful list.
AFTRA seems to take pride the fact that the Hollywood Reporter one of the mouthpieces for Hollywood employers has named their president as one of the most powerful women in Hollywood. Here is the story from the AFTRA Website.
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Reardon Named to the Hollywood Reporter’s ‘18th Annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 List’
Posted
AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon was named for a second consecutive year to the Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 list.
Reardon was ranked 70 on the list of 100 female movers and shakers in the entertainment industry, sharing honors with notable AFTRA members Oprah Winfrey (No. 2), Ellen DeGeneres (No. 26), Meryl Streep (No. 48) and Tina Fey (No. 51).
“I’m deeply honored to again be named to this list that highlights the broad spectrum of talented women in the industry,” Reardon said. “This honor is not so much about my achievements as it is about the strides AFTRA members have made in the last year, working together every day to build our union’s strength.”
Strides? Right! For the first time in SAG/AFTRA history, mostly due to Readon’s sellout to producers, our unions not only allowed signatories to do non-union productions, gave away internet residuals, decimated force majeure, sacrificed senior performers by giving away pre 74/71 internet residuals, and pushed forward an Interactive contract that allows members to do twenty voices for a session fee instead of the 3 voices under the previous contract. Like, I said, you can become pretty powerful in this town if you are a labor leader that is willing to sellout your own members.
This year, the Hollywood Reporter focused on mentorship and its important role in helping shape the lives of inner-city and at-risk youth.
Obviously, they ain’t concerned with at risk child actors, or actors in general.
“Being a mentor and a mentee plays such a crucial role in a person’s development,” Reardon said. “I’ve been blessed with many mentors throughout my career as an actor and as a labor leader and I’m grateful for their guidance.”
Obviously, Ms. Reardon’s acting mentors didn’t do her much good as an actress as she has never done one single TV/theatrical show. But, but those who mentored her as a compliant labor leader taught her pretty well.
Among those Reardon credits are Sally Alvarez, the director of Cornell Labor Programs and NY State AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute at Cornell University, former AFL-CIO staffer and currently Actor’s Equity Assistant Executive Director for Strategic Programs & Planning Susan Borenstein and New York AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes.
Need I say more, not an acting coach in the group.
Editors of the Hollywood Reporter based their decision on the following key criteria:
• Achievements during 2009
We mentioned those above.
* Impact and influence within the television and film industries
She certainly had that, to the detriment of actors.
* Ability to get projects greenlighted or proximity to greenlight power
She certainly “greenlighted” The TV/Theatrical contract by stepping in and undercutting SAG during its negotiations. *
Reputation
Oh, she certainly has one ot those. 
* General standing in the entertainment community
The irony here is that she got her “standing” by laying down for employers.
Reardon attended the annual breakfast hosted by the Hollywood Reporter on Friday at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Speakers included AFTRA members Hilary Swank, Eva Longoria Parker, who was named Philanthropist of the Year in November by the Hollywood Reporter, and Halle Berry, who received the Sherry Lansing Award, which honors her for blazing the trail within the industry and her volunteer work in the community at large.
Hmmm, I’m surprised she didn’t get the Philanthropist award as she certainly gave away plenty.
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Here is a story, I didn’t pay too much attention to, until I did a little checking.
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SCREEN ACTORS GUILD ANNOUNCES SHELDON SMITH AS HOWARD KEEL AWARD HONOREE
SCREEN ACTORS GUILD ANNOUNCES SHELDON SMITH AS HOWARD KEEL AWARD HONOREE
Washington, D.C. (December 1, 2009) - Screen Actors Guild announced today that Washington-Baltimore Branch member Sheldon Smith will receive the 2nd Annual Howard Keel Award for his tireless contributions to the Guild. Smith joined SAG in Detroit in 1968 and will receive his honor at the Regional Branch Division's annual board meeting this spring.
"I am honored and humbled by this recognition," said Smith. "To me, it reflects the gratitude I have for my membership in the Guild and in AFTRA. Being a union member has afforded me professional opportunities I would not otherwise have enjoyed and my earned union benefits have allowed me to be a full-time working actor with a long and rewarding career."
Based in Washington, D.C. since 1986, Smith is an award-winning actor/narrator and perhaps the best-known voice of Republican media campaigns in America. He is a four-time winner of the Peer Award for Voiceover/Narration, most recently the 2009 Peer Gold Award for A Restless Giant - The Ever-Changing Nature of Mount Rainier, produced for the National Park Service by Henninger Productions. Smith is also the recipient of 19 Telly Awards, multiple Pollie Awards and Reed Awards, and a CINE Golden Eagle Award, among other recognitions. For more than 30 years, he has specialized exclusively in voiceover.
Among his contributions to the Guild, Smith serves as a member of SAG's National Financial Core Task Force, and his passion is for both internal and external organizing. For the past several years, he has presented a very popular workshop nationwide which teaches members how to convert non-union work into union jobs. Smith has also participated in every Branch Wages & Working Conditions Committee for both the Commercials and Industrial Contracts for over 20 years.
"Sheldon has lent his time, energy, intellect and considerable talent to an extraordinary number of efforts that have benefited not only Washington-Baltimore members, but members across the country," said SAG 3rd National Vice President David Hartley-Margolin. "Sheldon's service has been tireless, staggering, and offered for years without regard for recognition, making him more than deserving of this distinguished award."
Named for the legendary actor-singer and former SAG president, the Howard Keel Award is annually presented to persons who make a significant contribution to the promotion of Screen Actors Guild and to the welfare and benefit of members in their Branch, or nationally, as part of the Regional Branch Division.
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Okay, I don’t know much about Sheldon Smith, and maybe he is a hell of a good union, member. But, one thing troubles the Ol’ Dog about him getting this award.
The award is supposedly given to someone who works for the welfare and benefit of ALL members. Now, here’s the problem I have. Sheldon Smith signed a petition that promoted qualified voting. So, how is a guy who promotes qualified voting, which would take away around 85 percent of the membership’s right to vote, working for the welfare and benefit of ALL members?
So, let’s see it said above: “Among his contributions to the Guild, Smith serves as a member of SAG's National Financial Core Task Force.”
In light of Mr.Smith’s stance on qualified voting, one wonders if this Financial Core Task Force is in place to promote Fi-core. Because, let’s face, it is the quickest way to get 85% of SAG members to go Financial Core is to take away their right to vote ---which he apparently wants to do. Hello! The only right of membership you lose if you go Fi-Core is, ta-da, your right to vote.
Listen, from what I learned about our former president, whom after this award is named...if he heard it was given to anyone who wanted to take away KEEL over.
Oh, and you got to love this article in the AFTRA Magazine.
Alright, Watchdog what’s your bitch now? Well, well…you see it’s like this. Geraldo, who personally I like, is an AFTRA member, right? Right! So, he wins an award and the Ol’ AFTRA magazine thinks that's neat so they publicize. Right? Right. So what’s the problem Dog? Well, I don’t want to be picky. But it seems our AFTRA magazine should not be validating an AFTRA member for getting an award, while said member is working for a NON-UNION CABLE NETWORK!
Especially when the back of the AFTRA card says;
So, if you are an AFTRA member you state that “I agree to…NOT work for producers who have not signed AFTRA contracts.
So, why, does AFTRA’s leadership, not only promote, Geraldo but turn their heads while he works for NON-UNION Fox News? Good question: I asked Hollywood President Ron Morgan the same at an AFTRA Meeting, and you know what he did…he just shrugged.
Look, the same “go-along-to-get-along’s” that run AFTRA are now running SAG so you can look for more of the same.
My main regret, is that the young actors and actresses coming into SAG will not get the same benefits that I have enjoyed as an actor and broadcaster, as I shuttle into my senior years.
Oh, well, I’m doing the best I can to change that…ah, how about you.
A.L. Miller SW Editor & Chief
Okay, it’s late. The Ol’ Dog is going to wipe the oatmeal off his chin, shuttle, again, to the bar, and mix a cool martini, because it is post time.
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Reardon’s star rises, as actors income sinks. And does the SAG Howard Keel award winner qualify? And why the hell is AFTRA promoting Geraldo being honored?
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