ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
July 2
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STARS CHOOSE SIDES IN GUILD WAR

The SAG-AFTRA brawl has split the ranks of Hollywood stars, with neither side able to claim a clear advantage.

Each has a superstar: Tom Hanks is siding with the pro-AFTRA ratification campaign, while SAG’s effort against the deal attracted Jack Nicholson.

Though stars often remain MIA when it comes to union politics, the battle’s stirred up enough interest that key players have been weighing in on both sides as July 8 has emerged as the key date for the Screen Actors Guild --when the results of AFTRA’s ratification vote on its primetime deal will be announced.

The pro-AFTRA forces coalesced two weeks ago through the efforts of former SAG president Richard Masur and former SAG board member Amy Aquino via the AFTRAyes.org website, encouraging AFTRA’s 70,000 members to vote forthe pact over SAG’s strident opposition.

Among the first "AFTRA Yes" signers were Alec Baldwin and Sally Field; former SAG board members James Cromwell, Mike Farrell and Tess Harper; and current board member Morgan Fairchild. The move’s drawn more than 700 names, including Adam Arkin and Tim Daly; former SAG presidents Barry Gordon and William Schallert; and Mariette Hartley, Marilu Henner, Tim Kazurinsky, Susan Sarandon, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Spacey, Jeffrey Tambor and Fred Willard.

SAG launched its anti-AFTRA campaign in mid-June via automated calls to members from Sandra Oh and former SAG prexy Ed Asner, then countered the "AFTRA yes" campaign with a "solidarity" effort that derided the terms of the AFTRA deal. Besides Asner, Nicholson and Oh, signers include Josh Brolin, Andy Griffith, Louis Gossett Jr., Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Amy Madigan, Viggo Mortensen, Nick Nolte, Edward James Olmos, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton, Sean Penn, Ben Stiller, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Rainn Wilson.

The anti-AFTRA backers also include current SAG board members Justine Bateman, Seymour Cassel, former SAG president Bill Daniels, Elliott Gould, Robert Hays, Anne-Marie Johnson, Lainie Kazan and Nancy Sinatra. SAG’s obtained more than 4,000 signatures for the effort -- aimed at the 44,000 SAG members who also belong to AFTRA.

"I think the support of the stars is pretty much a wash," said Greg Hessinger, former national exec director of both SAG and AFTRA, in an interview with Daily Variety. "I would be shocked if the AFTRA ratification isn’t voted up."

DAILY BOX OFFICE RESULTS

CLICK HERE to read the WEEKEND Box Office Results! See how WALL*E and WANTED made!

Read reviews of the top 6 films at the box office this weekend

WALL*E Directed by Andrew Stanton Voices by Ben Burtt Jeff Garlin	Kung Fu Panda Directed by Mark Osborne John Stevenson Voices by Jack Black Dustin Hoffman

Get Smart Directed by Peter Segal Starring Steve Carell Anne Hathaway	Wanted Directed by Timur Bekmambetov Starring James McAvoy Morgan Freeman Angelina Jolie

The Incredible Hulk Directed by Louis Leterrier Starring Edward Norton Liv Tyler	The Love Guru Directed by Marco Schnabel Starring Mike Myers Justin Timberlake

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REALITY TV BOOSTS NETWORKS

Fox remains the net to beat this summer among young adults, but ABC and NBC are starting to make some noise with new reality shows.

After the first month of the summer season failed to produce any promising unscripted newbies, ABC hit one out of the park Tuesday with “Wipeout,” and also delivered good numbers for the show that followed it, “I Survived a Japanese Gameshow.”

And NBC last week saw its two most impressive preems of summer in “Baby Borrowers” and “Celebrity Family Feud.” The Peacock is also benefiting from the U.S. Olympic Trials, leading up to the Summer Games, which the net will carry beginning Aug. 8.