Howard, Reardon to co-chair SAG-AFTRA

Ken Howard and Roberta Reardon will end up co-presidents of SAG-AFTRA not less than annually -- if the suggested merger between your Screen Stars Guild and also the American Federation of Television and Radio undergo. SAG and AFTRA haven't launched particulars around the merger plan, OKd over the past weekend through the two national boards. But individuals with understanding have told Variety the proposal provides the current chosen leadership of these two unions will stay in position having a joint regulating structure until a minimum of May, 2013. Which means a co-presidency for Howard and Reardon, a co-secretary-treasureship for SAG secretary-treasurer Amy Aquino and AFTRA secretary-treasurer Matt Kimbrough along with a single national board for people from the SAG and AFTRA national boards. The brand new election structure will start to get into effect the coming year between May and August, once the contests for leader, secretary-treasurer and many board people will occur. A professional Vice president and 7 other VPs is going to be chosen in a convention in September, 2013. Particulars from the plan is going to be revealed now and also the ballots is going to be sent out on February. 27 having a March 30 tabulation date. The geographic makeup from the new board will be based upon the residency of dues-current people from the union, that is envisioned having 140,000 people. By the finish of this past year, Hollywood could be repped by 48% of seats around the board. Hollywood has about 60% of SAG board seats presently with 25% allotted to NY and also the relaxation repped by regional offices. The merger proposal will be delivered to 120,000 SAG people and 70,000 AFTRA people, who include stars, tv stations, DJs, performers and ballroom dancers. To pass through, the referendum would want a 60% approval margin from both orgs among votes cast. The 45,000 thesps who fit in with both SAG and AFTRA will get two ballots, one for every union. SAG people defeated merger plans in 1999 and 2003 while AFTRA people supported both. The initiation fee for SAG-AFTRA is going to be $3,000 -- a hike for individuals owned by just one union but a savings for dual consumers. Current initiation fee is $2,230 at SAG and $1,600 at AFTRA. The yearly dues is going to be $198 with SAG-AFTRA taking 1.575% of earnings up to and including more $8,073. For tv stations, the dues rate is going to be 1.575% on earnings as much as $100,000, shedding to .274% for earnings between $100,001 and $250,000 to no more than $2,184. AFTRA's current policy permitting broadcast people to work on single-employer non-union locations will stay intact. But people will stay barred from employed by multi-employer non-union locations. AFTRA also introduced Monday that it is people have ratified the 3-year successor deal around the AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Seem Tracks. The prior deal expired on 12 ,. 31, therefore the new contract is retroactive to Jan. 1 and tell you 12 ,. 31, 2014. AFTRA stated highlights from the contract include a rise in base rates of twoPercent every year from the contract a rise in the business health insurance and retirement contribution rate on royalty earnings by 1% within the existence from the agreement the retention of needed special employer contributions that guarantee medical health insurance benefits for royalty artists around the current ''roster'' of the label by growing the utmost on employer contributions from $5,000 to $6,500 each year enhanced and broadened performers' base of participation in revenue from purchase of digital downloads the establishment of the new structure of revenue-based obligations for brand new regions of low-budget licenses and licenses for nontraditional usages, for example reuse of tracks in novelty consumer items. The seem tracks code creates a lot more than $140 million in annual earnings for AFTRA people. It covers performers, royalty and non-royalty artists, in addition to announcers, stars, comics, narrators and seem effects artists who focus on tracks in most new and traditional media and all sorts of music formats, additionally to audio books, comedy albums and cast albums. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

CBS Develops Two Comedy Projects for Martin Lawrence

Martin Lawrence CBS is developing a pair of sitcoms for comedian Martin Lawrence, with an eye toward shooting one of them as a pilot. Bernie Mac creator and The Daily Show contributor Larry Wilmore is behind one of the shows, while the other is from Rules of Engagement creator Tom Hertz and Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production company. In the Wilmore script, Lawrence would play a single man who becomes (along with his sister) a foster parent to several children. Hertz's script would star Lawrence as a family man trying to keep his kids grounded while facing off with his wealthy in-laws. A decision on which project (if either) will go forward will be made in the coming weeks, after everyone involved - including Lawrence, of course - has time to digest the two scripts. Such a bake-off is not unprecedented; last year, Tim Allen mulled several scripts developed with him in mind before he settled on the sitcom that would become Last Man Standing. Like Allen (his Wild Hogs co-star, coincidentally), Lawrence is mulling a return to TV after focusing mostly on features in recent years. The actor signed a deal with CBS and its sister CBS TV Studios last fall to develop a comedy project. Sony, where Hertz and Happy Madison are based, is also involved with the Hertz comedy. Lawrence, who got his start on the syndicated comedy What's Happening Now, starred in the hit Fox comedy Martin for five years. Since then, his feature career has included Bad Boys and Big Momma's House (and their sequels), as well as National Security and Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins. Lawrence didn't completely leave TV, however: He was behind the Starz standup comedy series Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Standup. Wilmore's other credits include The Office and The PJs, while Hertz also worked on Spin City. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Exclusive: See Jessie's Debby Ryan Become a Radio Rebel

Debbie Ryan Debby Ryan is going from Jessie to Radio Rebel. In the upcoming Disney Channel film, Ryan stars as Tara Adams, an introverted teen who's painfully shy in school and a popular (yet anonymous) podcast host at night. As her show's reputation grows, it becomes increasingly difficult for Tara to lead two lives as the students are determined to find the host's identity. VIDEO: Debby Ryan Dishes on New Disney Series Jessie Based on the novel Shrinking Violet, Radio Rebel also stars Sarena Parmar (Degrassi) Adam DiMarco (The Haunting Hour), Merritt Patterson (Kyle XY) and Atticus Mitchell (My Babysitter's a Vampire). Check out our exclusive first-look photos of the movie, premiering Friday, Feb. 17 at 8/7c on Disney Channel:

'One Night,' 'Arcadia' unspooling in Generation

Lucy Mulloy's "One Night," a U.S.-Cuban-British co-production about two Cuban boys who build a raft to sail to Florida, and Olivia Silver's U.S. family drama "Arcadia" are among features unspooling in the Berlinale's Generation children and youth sidebar. In a world premiere, the newly restored 3D version of Da Su's classic Chinese animated film "The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven," released in 1961, is also screening in the section. "One Night" is one of seven selections announced Thursday that will screen in the older-skewing Generation 14plus section. Others include Simon Aboud's U.K. heist pic "Comes a Bright Day," starring Craig Roberts, Imogen Poots and Kevin McKidd; Robert Sarkies' Kiwi entry "Two Little Boys"; and Pietra Brettkelly's documentary "Maori Boy Genius," also from New Zealand. "Arcadia" screens in the tyke sidebar, Generation Kplus, along with Martin Hoegdahl's Swedish family adventure "The Ice Dragon," Indian helmer Rajan Khosa's "Gattu" and Remi Bezancon and Jean-Christophe Lie's French-Belgian animated pic "Zarafa," about a baby giraffe that travels from Africa to Paris as a gift for the king of France. A total of 56 short and feature films from 32 countries have been selected for the Kplus and 14plus competitions, including 12 feture directorial debuts. In addition to "The Monkey King," Cornelia Gruenberg's German documentary "Fourteen" will also unspool out of competition. The Berlinale runs Feb. 9-19. Contact Ed Meza at staff@variety.com

6 Reasons Youll Hate Yourself For Watching Jersey Shoreline Again

Snooki With every year comes resolutions that you are really likely to stick to, right? For instance, I resolved to look at less trashy reality TV. However I recognized that there is a brand new episode of Kourtney and Kim Take NY Sunday evening (yup, which was New Year's Day) and that i thought: "Screw it! My lowbrow style of television does not define me!" And That I viewed it, also it was awesome. If you are much like me, then you will most likely end up parked before your TV consuming Ron-Ron juice for Thursday night's Jersey Shoreline premiere (10/9c, MTV). And, much like me, you will be disgusted on your own over your choice - but you'll get it done anyway. Jersey Shore's Snooki discloses dramatic weight reduction Throughout the episode, I discovered six specific reasons that helped me hate myself for succumbing all over again: 1. They favor Jersey over Italia because, within the words of Pauly D, "I can not go tanning out here, I can not obtain a haircut out here ... and also the gym sucks!" 2. The 3 most deplorable people in the home - Ronnie, Mike and also the Situation - are shacking up inside a room back together again. 3. Upon her go back to Jersey, Snooki demonstrates just how much she skipped pickles by consuming pickle juice - completely from an economy-sized jar. 4. The Situation's friend Jonathan turns up. But he favors to put into practice a loathsome nickname, too - The System. And he's a 1000 occasions worse compared to Situation. 5. "This really is Hurricane Situation. And it is coming straight for Snooki Island." 6. Guido Bingo noun. pl. Guido Bingos: a gambling game, usually performed with multiple people, where a girl sleeps with all of four male roommates in the home. Jersey Shoreline premieres Thursday at 10/9c on MTV.