Hollywood actors and studios face disconnect

Three weeks after the expiration of their contract, the Screen Actors Guild and the studios appear to be living on different planets. SAG says it's still negotiating; the studios say their final offer is languishing on the table. A weekend get-together of the actors union gave little indication that those worlds are getting any closer. Leaders of SAG spent the weekend trying to convince members that they are still negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), the studios' bargaining arm. The AMPTP, however, has rejected this interpretation, saying negotiations ended when the contract expired June 30 and the studios made their final offer. It has said it will not entertain any more bargaining sessions or counterproposals. A LATimes editorial says it's past time for the two sides to be hunkering down for some serious give-and-take.