SAG's protracted pursuit of a strike authorization vote may end as early as tomorrow, with the bitter aftertaste of a secret awards blacklist lingering in an emergency meeting underway at union HQ.

The moderates among SAG leadership — "mostly those repping New York and the regional branches," notes Variety — were already irritated having to attend today's meeting in person, during which the union's negotiating committee expects to determine the fates of the Jan. 14 vote and national executive director Doug Allen. And neither looks good — not with the economy tanking, popular sentiment against a strike and last week's fantastic inside smear campaign against anti-strike SAG Award nominees including Josh Brolin, Steve Carell, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin.

SAG president Alan Rosenberg half-heartedly condemned the blacklist, which was distributed by way of an anonymous e-mail traced back to national board member Frances Fisher:

"If I were a regular, ordinary, not-rich-and-famous actor, and if I wanted my union to be strong so it could fight for me ... would I want to give any of these rich-and-famous union-underminers my vote? [...] Would I want my union to give them such an honor — my union's ultimate stamp-of-approval? I would remember those names when I began to mark my ballot."

What? And lose a precious potential opportunity for another Josh Brolin speech before awards season ends? Fools.