Final Ballots for 16th Annual SAG Awards® Mailed to Nearly 100,000 SAG Members Nationwide

16th Annual SAG® Awards Ceremony will be Simulcast on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), 7 p.m. (CT) and 6 p.m. (MT), Preceded by “TNT-PEOPLE Magazine Present the Screen Actors Guild Awards® Red Carpet Show” at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 29, 2009) - Los Angeles, California - Ballots to select the recipients of the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® for outstanding performances in 2009 in five film and eight primetime television categories and for the SAG honors for film and television stunt ensembles are being mailed today, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 to the entire active membership of Screen Actors Guild across the country by the SAG Awards® official election teller, Integrity Voting Systems. Nearly 100,000 actors will receive ballots and may vote by mail or secure Internet eBalloting.

Votes must be received by noon PST on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010 at Integrity Voting Systems, where results will be tallied and sealed until they are opened by the presenters at the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® ceremonies on Saturday, Jan. 23 at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center.

Recipients of the stunt ensemble honors will be announced from the SAG Awards red carpet during the TNT.TV and TBS.COM live pre-show webcasts, which can be seen online from 6:30 p.m. (ET)/3:30 p.m. (PT).

Recipients of this year’s Actor® statuettes for individual performances in motion pictures and television,and for motion picture cast and television ensemble performances will be revealed during the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®' live national simulcast on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), 7 p.m. (CT) and 6 p.m. (MT).

Preceding the SAG Awards® ceremony will be the premier “TNT-PEOPLE Magazine Present the SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS RED CARPET SHOW” at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT), 6:30 p.m. CT and 5:30 p.m. (MT).

Of the top industry accolades presented to performers, only the Screen Actors Guild Awards® are selected purely by actors’ peers. The Screen Actors Guild Awards®, which were the first televised honors devised by a union to celebrate the work of actors and the first to establish awards for motion picture casts and television ensembles.

Nominees for the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® were announced on Thursday, 17, 2009. A complete list of nominees is available at www.sagawards.org/nominations.

“The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards” will be produced by Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards®, LLC. Jeff Margolis is the executive producer and director. Kathy Connell is the producer. JoBeth Williams, Daryl Anderson, Scott Bakula, Shelley Fabares and Paul Napier are producers for SAG. Gloria Fujita O’Brien and Mick McCullough are supervising producers. Benn Fleishman is executive in charge of production.  More information is available online at www.sagawards.org.

Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents more than 120,000 actors who work in film and digital theatrical motion pictures and television programs, commercials, video games, industrials, Internet and all new media formats.  The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. More information is available online at www.sag.org.

TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television's top-rated comedy network.  It serves as home to such original comedy series as "My Boys," Tyler Perry's “House of Payne" and “Meet the Browns,” as well as the upcoming “Neighbors from Hell”; late-night series like “Lopez Tonight,” starring George Lopez, and “The Very Funny Show,” hosted by Tim Meadows; hot contemporary comedies like "The Office," "My Name is Earl," "Family Guy” and "Seinfeld"; specials like "Funniest Commercials of the Year"; special events, including star-studded comedy festivals in Chicago and Las Vegas; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.

Turner Network Television (TNT), one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama "The Closer," starring Kyra Sedgwick; "Men of a Certain Age," starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula; "Saving Grace," starring Holly Hunter; "Leverage," starring Timothy Hutton; "HawthoRNe," with Jada Pinkett Smith; and "Dark Blue" starring Dylan McDermott, as well as the newly acquired "Southland,” from Emmy®-winning producer John Wells (“ER”). TNT also presents such powerful dramas, such as "Bones," "CSI: NY" and "Numb3rs"; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the "Screen Actors Guild Awards(r)"; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA.  TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.