WGAE President Michael Winship and WGAW President Patric M. Verrone share the results in this letter to membership. To Our Fellow Members:

We’re pleased to inform you that ballots have been tabulated, and members of the Writers Guilds, East and West have overwhelmingly approved all three proposed amendments to the Screen Credits Manual. A total of 1,619 ballots were cast with the following results:

• Proposal #1 – Arbiter Teleconference – 90% in favor of adopting the amendment (1,455 yes; 154 no).
• Proposal #2 – Elimination of Relaxed Standard – Percentage Requirements to Receive Screenplay Credit – 86% in favor of adopting the amendment (1,387 yes; 219 no).
• Proposal #3 – Rules for Production Executive Teams – Elimination of 60% Rule – 83% in favor of adopting the amendment (1,344 yes; 268 no).

The entire letter can be read at REELot.com

NEW YORK, — The Board of Trustees of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA and its Chairman, Hon. John F. Lehman, announced yesterday the recipients of 2008 Princess Grace Awards. The Awards for theater, dance/choreography and film continue the legacy of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, who anonymously helped emerging artists pursue their goals throughout Her lifetime.

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA, a public charity, was formed after the death of Princess Grace in 1982. They award scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships to assist artists with career development.

Get the complete list of film recipients at REELot.com

As expected THE DARK KNIGHT won the weekend box office race with an estimated $75.6 million take bringing total earnings to $314 million in 10 days.

New release STEP BROTHERS came in second with $30 million followed by MAMMA MIA! at $17.8 million and X-FILES – I WANT TO BELIEVE in fourth at $10.2 million.

There are 19 candidates nominated to run for eight open seats on the WGAW’s Board of Directors, as follows: Aaron Mendelsohn (inc.), Mark Gunn (inc.), Howard Michael Gould, Tim Day, Timothy J. Lea, Bernard Lechowick, David A. Goodman (inc.), John F. Bowman (inc.), Kathy Kiernan (inc.), Aaron Solomon, Mick Betancourt, Karen Harris, Kat Smith, Howard Kuperberg, Kevin Droney, Ashley Gable, Dwayne Johnson-Cochran, Katherine Fugate, Luvh Rakhe. No previously-announced candidates withdrew their candidacies, and no additional candidates were added to the initial roster.

Read more at REELot.com

Head of Distribution for WB reports THE DARK KNIGHT hit a record $155.34 million this weekend.

Parting the Waters is the story of African-American championship swimmers Maritza Correia and Cullen Jones, and the young black and Latino swimmers coming up behind them — as they challenge old myths, fears, and stereotypes to break down the last vestiges of segregation.

Great news!  Cullen Jones made the United States Olympic Swim Team!  He’ll be swimming in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay in Beijing — starting on August 10th.

Lia Neal also swam superbly.  She broke her own American age-group record in the 50-meter freestyle, she made the Junior National team, and she also qualified for the World Youth Games, but ironically she was too young to actually go.

Read more about PARTING THE WATERS at REELot.com

The domestic box office went into overdrive on Friday as Warner Bros.’ Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” stood ready to deliver the best opening day gross ever, taking in an estimated $60 million to $63 million in ticket sales from a record 4,366 theaters.  The next largest opening was from last year’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End with 4,362.

SPIDER-MAN 3 was the record holder (non-holiday) with $59.8 million of opening Friday and then a cume of $151.1 for the weekend.
More Information: http://www.warnerbros.com

Nominations for the 60th Primetime Emmy® Awards (covering the period of
June 1, 2007 through May 31, 2008) were announced today by the Academy
of Television Arts & Sciences from the Leonard H. Goldenson
Theatre, North Hollywood, California.

For highlights and the complete list of nominees, go to REELot.com

Congresswoman Jackie Speier has entered the attached statement into the Congressional Record in support of the union organizing efforts of “reality” TV workers.

This statement comes hours after Wednesday’s launch of the American Idol Truth Tour, co-sponsored by the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Congresswoman Speier represents San Francisco and San Mateo Counties in California, including Daly City. The American Idol Truth Tour’s first stop will be, Thursday, July 17, at the Cow Palace in Daly City. American Idol is produced by FremantleMedia, North America.
Read a separate letter to WGAW President Patric M. Verrone from Congresswoman Speier at REELot.com

Friday, 8/8, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday, 8/9, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. – WGAW Second Floor, Multipurpose Room. Info (323) 782-4589.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) Committee of Black Writers, in association with the ABFF, invites you to join them for a 2-day writers workshop that will teach you how to build great screenplays that make movie executives take notice. In addition to providing you with a deeper understanding of the core elements of story structure – plot, character and theme – there will be extensive exploration and discussion of transformational arcs, the spectrum of story genres, and the writer’s method of working from the inside out. At the conclusion of this workshop, you will have gained valuable insight into the writing process and the necessary tools to create marketable screenplays. Go online at www.abff.com (the ‘Passes’ page) and receive $50 off!