Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/57163
5.1 Million Viewers Tune in to SAG Awards to watch the only major awards show in which actors honor actors. The 18th Annual SAG Awards telecast on TNT and TBS on January 29 drew 2 percent more viewers than last year. The show was once again a resounding success, and SAG members V Alec Baldwin at the SAG Awards. gathered in Hollywood at SAG headquarters, as well as at parties coast to coast, to join in the celebration and watch the show with fellow actors. It was a particularly exciting occasion for members in favor of merger, as well, since the awards show took place just two days after the SAG National Board voted to approve the proposed Merger Agreement and Constitution, paving the way for a vote by members to authorize the creation of a new union. AFTRA's board voted to approve the package the next day. SAG National President Ken Howard announced the boards' decisions at the event. "We have been hard at work…creating a plan for a single union that will give our members maximum strength throughout the entertainment and media industries. And I am so proud to say that historic moment of unity is at hand," he said. Some attendees at the SAG Awards used the opportunity to display their union pride and encourage their fellow actors to vote in favor of the merger, with many sporting newly minted SAG-AFTRA pins, bearing the name of the proposed new union. "Every working actor knows that the reality of making a living in this business has a lot less to do with red carpets than good, strong contracts, good residuals [and] access to health insurance and pension benefits, and merging SAG and AFTRA is going to increase our bargaining strength and give us a better ability to do all of that," said SAG 1st Vice President Ned Vaughn. Experts Offer Online Security Advice members with the knowledge they need to protect themselves, Screen Actors Guild held a special presentation titled Protecting Yourself in a Cyber World on December 7 at SAG headquarters. Featuring James Saxe of Reputation.com, FBI Special W Agent Richard P. Ryan and Steve Martinez, associate director of FBI Los Angeles Field Office, the discussion offered practical advice on how to minimize the risk of having your identity stolen or getting ripped off. It also examined the best ways to protect your investments, best practices when working for multiple employers and why seniors are a favorite targets for fraudsters. Ryan offered recommendations to minimize your ith all the news of hacking and identity theft, the online world can be a scary place. To arm iewership of the Screen Actors Guild Awards was up this year, as more than 5.1 million people tuned in ® From left, Reputation.com senior manager James Saxe; Steve Martinez, associate director of FBI Los Angeles Field Office; and FBI Special Agent Richard P. Ryan. exposure to fraud and identity theft, including: • Ask your waiter or waitress to conduct your credit card transaction in front of you at the table, if possible. • Check your credit report AT LEAST once per year. • Your trash becomes public property the moment you place it at the curb or put it in the trash bin; anyone can legally access it. Shred everything. See Ryan's full list of tips at sag.org/experts-offer-online-security-advice. 2 Jason Merritt / Wireimage.com