SAG-AFTRA Merger: Exclusive Interview with SAG President, Ken Howard

There is a lot of debate going on in the entertainment industry about the possible merger of the two main actors' unions in Hollywood:  Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists.  The current status is up for vote and I recently turned in my ballot.  I have voted for a merger several times in the past because I felt like the strength of unions has weakened since the 1950's and 1960's.  When the other mergers did not pass, the unions started to compete for contracts ultimately hurting the people they represent:  actors.  Now, as a host, many of my broadcast contracts, including The Web Files, fall under a SAG New Media contract.  While I do have certain reservations about some of the merger points, I did vote "yes" because I do not see any other option in order to keep our union relevant, viable, and strong through the next decade.  Last night, I caught up with Ken Howard, current SAG president, on the red carpet at the 20th Anniversary Alzheimer's Association, "A Night at Sardi's" at the Beverly Hilton. Right away, I hit him with the merger question.  Here is his exclusive response to Red Carpet Report and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below on this hot topic:

Paley Fest 2012: Community

Joel McHale and Alison Brie

If you caught my coverage of the first night of the Paley Fest,  you know the fans of some of the most beloved shows are rabid for more.  Well, night two was no different as it was the long awaited return of NBC's Community.  They had a rough start to Season three when NBC placed them on a forced hiatus after their fall episodes.  The fans banded together to make sure NBC knew how much they loved their show.  The cast kept working through this hiatus and the network finally announced the return of the show:  March 15th.  Catch up with the cast and find out what they have been up to including Jim Rash, his Oscar, and the most famous leg in the entertainment industry. 

 Gillian Jacob and Dan Harmon

 Jim Rash and Dan Harmon

Danny Pudi

Oscar Friends

You come to this town with a dream. To stand on that red carpet.  To feel like you belong.  To be in the mix with Hollywood's elite. That ride means nothing unless you are celebrating amongst friends.  This post is a tribute to all of my friends who joined me on that red carpet last Sunday.  I love that you were there with me......

Me and James Molnar of The Gold Knight.

Misty Kingma, fellow Red Carpet Report entertainment reporter, and me.

Me and Taryn Southern who was broadcasting for US Weekly.

Me and Dennis Pastorizo of Terra Networks.

The man behind the camera, JD Piche, thanks for all of your hard work last week!

My awesome pal, Jordan Carson, from WOTV-4, Grand Rapids.

Me and Blake Mitchell.

Oscars Week: Day 5

I'm not sure how I got behind, but I did.  Here's what happened on Day 5 this week with our Foreign Film nominees.  Now, we all know that Iran's A Separation won, but we had a chance to speak with Belgium, Poland, Canada, and Israel about their nominations.  If you think film is just a Hollywood thing, think again.  There are some incredible films coming from all parts of the globe.  Check out our short video with these filmmakers:

 Me and Jordan Carson goofing off at the Foreign Film photo op.  

I offer full array of Oscars Week services including set moving.

Kicking Off The Week

Weird Al Yankovic!!!

Where the heck have I been?  Ah, sigh.  The old laptop crashed and I've been realizing how much I rely upon my electronics.  Well, I'm back on a new laptop and ready to kick off a CRAZY week.  Here's where you can find me:

1.  Behind The Red Carpet:  My weekly Oscar updates are being sent out to media affiliates across the globe.  You can find my insider's look at this year's nominees at the following sites:
Movie Geeks United
Fanboy Comics
Forces of Geek
Film Snobbery

2.  Driving With Gass:  Don't forget my weekly spot on the Driving with Gass show on KWSS.org.  I am on Mondays at 6:35PM PT/9:35PM ET.  If you missed our recent coverage of the Oscar Nominations, you can listen in here.  Don't forget to follow each Monday on Twitter with the hashtag:  #RadioBurtt.

3.  The Gold Knight Blog:  Did you ever want to know how I became such an Oscar nerd?  Well, find out in this exclusive article on The Gold Knight Blog. They have got the inside scoop on all of my Oscar activities this year.

Me and Bruce Boxleitner who will next be seen in GCB

4.  The Annie Awards:  Yes, the 39th Annual Animation Awards happened over the weekend.  I told you awards season was busy.  It was a fun night that included 4 Oscar nominees, the voice of Winnie the Pooh, and Weird Al Yankovic!  Check out my interviews here with Red Carpet Report below:

My Full Oscar Nominations Coverage-2012

Phew!  What a day it was.  I was so amped up, that I stayed up from my 2:15AM alarm until about 8:30PM last night.  There was so much to do from interviews to writing articles to getting all of the videos shot and ready to go.  Instead of sending you all over the internet, you can find all of my coverage here:

Let's start with Starpulse:
My full article on what happened in the theatre is here along with a fun interview with Tom Sherak, President of the Academy.  He was pretty forthcoming about the diversity of this year's nominees and the new rules set in place to keep the playing field as level as possible during the voting period.
Starpulse highlight video with Tom Sherak: Click Here.
Starpulse FULL interview with Tom Sherak: Click Here.

For Red Carpet Report:
Here is my Oscar insider thoughts on yesterday morning's nominations:


And I get to pick legendary film critic, Leonard Maltin's brain about the surprises and omissions on this year's list.


Finally, I will be doing Oscar updates each week between now and February 26th for a bunch of media outlets.  Here is my Nominations update for Forces of Geek in front of the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.  (I told you it was a busy day!)

I am also interested in hearing your thoughts on the nominations.  I was pleasantly surprised because, for once, the awards don't seem predetermined to a specific film or actor.  I feel that almost every category is up for grabs.  Now, it's up to Billy Crystal and show producers, Brian Grazer and Don Mischer, to make this show entertaining.

All photos property of Mingle Media TV and Kristyn Burtt.  They may not be used without permission. Thank you.

IAWTV Awards-We Won!

Wow.  I just spent a whirlwind 36 hours criss-crossing the US to make it to the IAWTV Awards.  As I had mentioned during the nomination process, everything was an incredible surprise.  Thursday night was an even bigger surprise with 2 wins for Best Hosted Web Series (Taped) and for Best Host in a Taped Web Series.  I had not prepared a speech.  Seriously.  I just didn't think this was our year, so when I heard my name called, my knees buckled, and it took everything in me to climb three stairs to get to the stage.  I didn't remember a thing I said, so I went back and watched a replay of the live feed.  Okay, I sounded relatively coherent.  (See my section beginning at 1:47:11)

Team Web Files:  me, Perry Payne, Sandra Payne, Jenn Bobiwash

What was important to me was the show win.  Four out of five of The Web Files crew was in attendance, so it was a wonderful way to celebrate together.  Without the creative minds of Sandra Payne, Perry Payne, Jenn Bobiwash, and Melissa Anchondo, the show would have never happened.  It has been such an honor to work with them and perhaps you will see another episode in 2012.....stay tuned.  I had such a wonderful time in Vegas catching up with my web TV peers and enjoying the sunshine since I have been working in gray Detroit.  I just felt happy all day.  It was such a win for me to be there to attend the show, so the results of the show were more than I could ever ask for.  Thank you to everyone who made my day special, it means more to me than you will ever know.

Finally, a huge "Congratulations" to the IAWTV organization and the Awards Committee for putting on a show that the web community deserves.  I hope you all enjoyed a cocktail or two....you earned it!

 Being interviewed for CraveOnline.com

 One of my favorite photos of the night:  with Brian Rodda.

 I giggled when I saw someone in the forums was looking for a "wardrobe malfunction".  Silly rabbit, if you knew me better, you would know I tape everything down before I hit the red carpet. 

 I love these black and white shots by Kent Nichols.

 Always be photo bombing.  Me and the foxy Rick Fox with Misty Kingma.

 Tamara Krinsky (my buddy from Stagedoor Manor!), Mark Friedlander, me, and Kevin Winston. 

 My Red Carpet Report cohort, Misty Kingma.

Hamming it up on the blue carpet with Red Carpet Report's JD Piche. 

Team KB in full force at IAWTV Awards:  Melanie Marquez of M4PR was a red carpet ninja on Thursday night.  

I've interviewed her, now she's interviewed me.  Paula Rhodes takes over my role on the red carpet.  Nice work, lady! 

Photos courtesy of Mingle Media TV, Brenda White, Jenn Page, Kent Nichols, Indie Intertube, and Digital Hollywood.  They may not be used without my permission.  

The Friday Five

Here we go right smack in the middle of the holiday season. I have family coming in today, so things will be loud and busy at Chez Burtt.  I hope you all have a fun weekend of eating, spending time with family, and taking a minute or two to work out or at least walk it off.  (Easier said than done, I know!) With that, let's get right to the Friday Five:

1.  Holidays:  Oh, this photo was taken just a few years ago....now that you've stopped laughing, you have to love that my mom coordinated my outfit with Santa.  In true KB form, I am more interested in striking the right pose for the camera (chin down, eyes up) than I am in Santa.  I'm also thinking about that lollipop in my hands.  Three seconds to a sugar rush!  And, oh yeah, that's my real hair color.

2.  The Artist:  If you are looking for a movie to see this holiday season, look no further than The Artist.  It's a true love letter to the history of film, sound, and music.  Be prepared as there is only about a minute of true sound or talking in this film, but enjoy getting lost in the incredible score by Ludovic Bource which tells a dramatic and moving story.  I love that a film like this could get made in 2011 given half the junk I have to see for my job involves remakes, guns, 3D, and generally, uninspired writing. I expect a lot of nominations for this film on January 24th, the day the Academy Award nominations are announced.

3.  The Dress:  Yes, I am going to need a dress for the 84th Annual Academy Award announcements again.  For those of you that were around last year, I ran a contest to find a dress for the obscenely, yet exciting, early morning.  The rules are going to remain the same and I am posting a photo of the winning dress which turned out to be the perfect example of what I am looking for.  I will formerly announce this contest the first week of January, but those of you who want to get started early can either leave me links in the comments section or post a photo on my Facebook wall.  Remember, I have to be able to order this online since I will be traveling for most of the month.  Again, here are the rules.  Happy Shopping, and yes, there will be a gift certificate for the winner!

4.  Holiday Greetings:  One of the media outlets I work for, Mingle Media TV, came up with a really fun holiday video.  It was fun looking at some of the events I covered in 2011 for Red Carpet Report.  Watch for me at the 0:06-0:38 mark.

5. The Store:  I am happy to say that we have our first donations to The Thirst Project with the sales from the store.  There is still a week left in the month, so I will announce the total for December 2011 in a Friday Five during the month of January.  Remember, "Water is a human right, join the fight". If you would like to donate, click here.

With that, I am going to wrap it up here at Red Carpet Closet.  Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hannakuh!  I will post a bit next with with more of my Best of 2011 lists.

My Top 3 Interviews of 2011

With 10 days left in the year, I am going to start doing a few "Best of 2011" posts to highlight some of my favorite moments of the year.  Today's feature is my favorite Top 3 interviews of 2011.  This was a hard one to whittle down since I had everything from the Oscars to the Tonys to countless other red carpets and gifting suites to choose from.  The interviews were chosen for particular reasons, whether they were funny or poignant, they just resonated with me this year.  Here are the Top 3:

1.  Joel Grey from Anything Goes at the Tony Awards:  I spoke about this interview at length in this post, but nothing was ever better than having the opportunity to speak to someone who was one of your childhood heroes.  I know, I know, I was a musical theatre geek, so I wasn't looking up to Molly Ringwald, it was Joel Grey.  Here is the unedited footage so you can see how it all went down at the Tony Awards while I was working for Starpulse:



2.  Josh Sussman from Glee at GBK Productions MTV Movie Awards Gifting Suite:  I think this was easily my funniest interview of the year, no one made me laugh more on camera than Josh.  He's just quick with a quip and he and his super cute girlfriend, Tess, are incredibly nice......even though he still owes me a Justin Bieber movie viewing! You can see it all here on Red Carpet Report:



3.  Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds at the press junket for The Change-Up:  I don't know if your day can get any better when you walk into a room and two really good-looking guys are waiting for you to sit down.  I thought my heart was going to belong to Ryan that day, but Jason was a big flirt who won me over.  I should have known better, I loved him on Silver Spoons. Here's my interview for iVillage:



So, there you have it, my Top 3 Interviews for 2011!  Who was your favorite out of my Top 3 or is there another interview I missed?  I would love to hear from you, so don't forget to leave a comment below.

Radio Disney's 'Next Big Thing' with Cody Simpson

In August, I had the opportunity to interview some of the artists from Radio Disney's Next Big Thing (NBT) at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood for Red Carpet Report. We were ushered to the penthouse of the hotel on a hot summer day where Hollywood Ending and Shealeigh Daily were being coached by Australian pop singer, Cody Simpson. It was quite an exciting day for the artists since they had the opportunity to perform with Cody and I know they were just thrilled to be in Hollywood.  It was hard to keep all of the day's activities secret since the information was embargoed until now.  So, now that the secret is out, enjoy the photos and interviews!  Be sure to stay tuned to Radio Disney today for Cody Simpson's Jam Session with NBT's Season 4 contestants.

Read the comments on the YouTube page, Cody Simpson's fans LOVE him.....


I had a blast with Shealeigh and hello, look at those awesome yellow nails......

Her interview...


Okay, the Hollywood Ending fans are mad at me because I didn't let them all talk at once.  You try interviewing 5 guys at once.  It's hard work! Regardless, it was fun finding out who is the messiest, the bossiest, and the one who takes the longest to get ready.....

Their interview......


Follow me on Twitter
                       Facebook
                       Google Plus
All photos are property of Mingle Media TV.

Emmys 2011 Viewing Party

Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I will probably have to work backwards this week because it was such a busy week.  I went from San Francisco on Thursday to NYC on Friday and then back to LA on Saturday in time for Emmys events on Sunday.  3 Jobs, 3 Cities, 4 Airports, and crisscrossing the country twice in less than 24 hours.  So, let's kick off the week with my Sunday event.  The Emmy Awards 100 Stars Night Out viewing party at Universal was an......er, interesting one.

Judy Tenuta had me in stitches.

There were over a 100 people walking the red carpet.  I don't know if they are all stars, but we did talk to Kristy Swanson, Judy Tenuta, and Richard Herd (Seinfeld).  I interviewed Kristy during a hilarious Black Swan purse unveiling during Oscars week, so it was nice to reminisce with her about the absurdity of that event. The other highlight of the evening was Judy Tenuta. Judy is a favorite of one of my blog pals, Indiana Adams over at Adored Austin, so I was thrilled to interview her.  She's completely irreverent and one of the jokes was so funny and inappropriate that, wow, it probably won't see the light of day.  I sure did giggle though, so if you see me in person, ask me what the joke was all about.  Judy also asked about my Godspell iPhone case, so as any good investor would do, I plugged the show.  Finally, the one thing that irked me on the red carpet was the fact that most actors did not know who was nominated.  Okay, kids, PR 101 says that you will probably get asked about the awards by the reporters.  Have one person or show in mind and you are covered.  Otherwise, you get running commentary from me like this......check out the video, it's short and it's snarky just the way I like it.



Video for Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV.

What did you think of this year's Emmy Awards? Chime in below!