Real Soap Opera, with Actors

I hadn’t heard, after the last SAG election brouhaha back in November, that the election for president, treasurer and secretary was going to be re-run (how appropriate). Well, it is, on 15 March. And the campaigning is just as entertaining as the first go-around.

So, on the one side running as president, we have Melissa Gilbert, who would like you to think of her as that cute little girl on Little House on the Prairie, but is, of course, actually Anna Sheridan, a soul-possessed tool of the Evil Shadows from Babylon 5. Sheridan won the original, contested election, and has been serving for the past three months.

On the other side is Valerie Harper, everyone’s favorite insecure Jewish next-door neighbor, Rhoda, from the Mary Tyler Moore show.

Sheridan has, lined up on her side, the man who won the VP election, BJ Hunnicut (Mike Farrell) as a spokesperson, who definitely adds to the likeability factor, especially versus Rhoda’s grungy movie Trapper John (Elliott Gould), who is running for . On the other hand, Rhoda has callow-but-trustworthy Officer Reed (Kent McCord) on her side, agaist Anna’s doctor friend (Amy Aquino). Rhoda has the support of young Wesley Crusher, as well as Moses, Marshall McCloud, John Adams, Kate (The Real) McCoy, and, of course, Mary’s old boss, Lou Grant.

Gilbert, on the other hand, is supported by Spider-Man, Grace (of Wil and), and Elizabeth Taylor.

There have been all sorts of shenanigans regarding SAG e-mail from individuals that turned out to be paid political announcements. Plus, both candidates have bandied accusations of, “Well I am certainly in favor of a public debate, but my opponent keeps ducking away from it.”

There are other candidates, of course. But they’re not nearly as famous.

More as it happens …