The hottest story of the summer is an unseen one. But it concerns all the people in Hollywood, New York and international cinema who are holding their breaths waiting to see what the Screen Actors Guild members will decide to do about going on strike — or not!

My Hollywood guru is Peter Bart, the editor of Variety. He writes: “Clearly, Hollywood artisans want peace. The events of the past six months have taken a terrible toll, disrupting the rhythms of the town as well as eroding its confidence.” And he notes how the striking Writers Guild may believe they won gains in their recent strike, but he adds they have since “taken a beating at their own private bargaining tables. Deals have been canceled, paydays reduced, jobs have disappeared.”

So we will see how actor Alan Rosenberg, head of SAG, advises his people. Will the SAG actors go down the same path as the Writers Guild did?

Bart says both sides need to “give” a little. But in strike situations, in all arguments, in legal cases, don’t people always say that? Will SAG follow the path of AFTRA, which won increased salaries and benefits but held the line on residuals on DVDs? Many SAG members are snobbishly disdainful of AFTRA’s giving in and its gains.

But my friend Mr. Bart seems to be indicating that SAG could do worse than follow AFTRA and not put the movie biz through another rigor.

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