Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer + Betty White: SAG Awards

SAG Award honoree Betty White.

In addition to Betty White’s and Sandra Bullock’s speeches, another highlight at the SAG Awards ceremony was much less polished though quite memorable nevertheless. That was when a breathless Drew Barrymore stuttered her way while trying to come up with something coherent to say during her acceptance speech. Barrymore had just been named best actress in a television movie or miniseries for Grey Gardens.

“Improv is usually a good thing,” the by now veteran 35-year-old actress said, “… but it’s backfiring on me now.” She then remarked that the Screen Actors Guild was formed in the mid-1930s, a time when the Barrymores were already working in Hollywood (Ethel’s film career began in earnest in the mid-1940s), adding that she’s glad to be “keeping their name alive.”

“And right now I’m feeling really sick,” Barrymore finalized, “… And that’s a good thing … in a professional path.” She was dead serious, but many audience members laughed. Barrymore was just as overwhelmed when she accepted her Golden Globe last week.

Jeremy Renner, Brian Geraghty, and Anthony Mackie introduced their Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker, with Renner ending the intro by saying that “war is a cold, lonely, and lethal addiction.” Perhaps too cold, lonely, and lethal for SAG voters, as the critics’ favorite film of 2009 went home empty-handed.

Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, and Penélope Cruz introduced a clip from Nine, which also failed to win anything. The Rob Marshall musical was up for best supporting actress – Cruz – and best ensemble.

Up in the Air also failed to win anything, despite nominations for supporting actresses Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, and for actor George Clooney.

All in all, Inglourious Basterds was the only film to win more than one award: best supporting actor for Christoph Waltz and best ensemble. Best supporting actress winner Mo’Nique thanked the unsung ones from the Precious cast and crew. Mo’Nique has won so many awards already, she can afford to do her thank-yous in installments, so as not to sound repetitive.

The in memoriam segment featured the likes of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, David Carradine, James Whitmore, Gale Storm, Bea Arthur, and Patrick Swayze. And to think that Soupy Sales received much more applause than Oscar winner Jennifer Jones or Oscar nominee Richard Todd. That’s lasting fame and prestige for you.

In fact, I wonder how many people under 80 in the SAG Awards audience had actually heard of the Barrymores mentioned in Drew B.’s speech.

Jeff Bridges was the SAG Awards’ best actor winner for his troubled country singer in Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart. He’d also won the Golden Globe last week for best actor (drama). Bridges talked about his “acting family” (as in, his fellow actors everywhere), declared “I love being an actor!” and looked dismayed when he was prompted to “Please wrap this up.” I believe it was presenter Meryl Streep who told him to simply ignore it. He did.

Bridges then proceed to thank his family and the Crazy Heart cast and crew. He even mentioned a singing coach who will teach you to sing over the phone. Unfortunately, he forgot to give out the man’s number.

Best actress winner Sandra Bullock (for The Blind Side) probably provided the best, most authentic-sounding speech of the evening. Bullock talked about the downturn in her career following several box office flops not that long ago, thanked the people who helped her look blonde and beautiful on screen (“two very different things” – her morning self from her movie self), and even remarked on a “temper tantrum” she apparently had while being cast for the role. (I didn’t quite get who was involved in that.)

She also told her husband, Jesse James, “I leave you alone at the table and you come back with Morgan Freeman’s e-mail. I don’t know how you do it,” wrapping up with a public declaration of love and lust.

Best ensemble presenter George Clooney then told the audience he once had a guest role in The Golden Girls and “I’d like to thank Betty White for her discretion.” There was no reaction shot of Betty White, who had previously stated she “maybe had a couple” of audience members, because she was walking to her seat at that time and clearly missed out on Clooney’s remarks. Bad timing.

Clooney then announced that Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds was the winner of SAG’s best ensemble award. Here at Alt Film Guide, The Hurt Locker was the expected winner. Wrong. Elsewhere, most pundits believed that Tarantino’s World War II revenge fantasy was going to come out victorious. They were right.

Photo: Inglourious Basterds (François Duhamel / The Weinstein Co.)

Upon accepting her SAG Life Achievement Award, The Golden Girls star Betty White expressed her amazement at “how far a girl as plain as she is can go.”

The She in question was Sandra Bullock, who introduced the award, saying that most people love Betty White, but She finds White, her The Proposal fellow player, “annoying” because the 88-year-old veteran makes her feel like “a slacker.”

White’s acceptance speech, though at times she seemed to be reading cue cards a little too carefully, was peppered with funny moments. In addition to the Bullock joke, White explained she was still starstruck after all these years, going on to talk about the number of famous faces in the crowd. She then casually added, “and I worked with quite a few [of you] … maybe had a couple.” Laughter. Long pause. “And you know who you are.”

White wrapped up his speech saying “I was only 88 last Sunday, so I’ve got lots of stuff to do,” and “This is the highest point of my entire professional life.”

Photo: Mark Hill / Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

The cast of Mad Men has won the SAG Award for best ensemble in a television series drama, Christina Applegate and Chris O’Donnell announced a little while ago. Among those in the Mad Men cast are Joe Hamm, Robert Morse, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, and Christina Hendricks. The series also won the Golden Globe for best television series (drama) last week.

Michael C. Hall was voted the best actor in a dramatic series for Dexter, in which he helps to track down serial killers and the like. Hall has recently undergone cancer treatment, and showed up at the Golden Globes last week wearing a skullcap. He won there as well. And so did Julianna Margulies, SAG Award winner for best actress in a drama television series, The Good Wife.

SAG Award president Ken Howard just finished a very, very lengthy speech during which he thanked film unions, praised the US armed forces, saluted the 120,000 SAG members, and remembered the people of Haiti.

Sandra Bullock is now giving her intro to Betty White’s Life Achievement Award.

Photo: Mark Hill / Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

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The SAG Awards ceremony is currently underway at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles.

The best actor in a television comedy series was once again Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock. Considering that this is Baldwin’s fourth consecutive win, his remark “This is completely unexpected” was likely genuine. A week ago, Baldwin won the Golden Globe in that same category.

Fellow 30 Rock player Tina Fey also took best actress honors, while also claiming to be “very surprised.” In her speech, Fey made a point of telling NBC that “We are very happy with everything and happy to be there.” Following a reported $45 million settlement, NBC’s Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien is leaving the network so Jay Leno can have his time slot.

Also, during the SAG Awards red carpet arrivals, it was announced that Star Trek and 24 won, respectively, the motion picture and television stunt ensemble awards.

The SAG Awards ceremony can be watched live in most of the US on TNT and TBS (except for the West Coast, where it’ll be broadcast at 8pm).

Betty White and Sandra Bullock appeared together in The Proposal, the summer movie that marked Bullock’s resurgence as a box office draw. Later that evening, Bullock won the SAG Award for best actress in a motion picture for The Blind Side, a sleeper hit that confirmed her box office standing in the United States. Her other 2009 release, All About Steve, was a box office disappointment, but that didn’t prevent US exhibitors from voting her the top box office attraction in the country, the first woman to hold that position since Julia Roberts in 1999.

Below, Kate Hudson poses for a photo with her Nine co-star Daniel Day-Lewis. Nine received two SAG Award nominations, for best supporting actress (Penélope Cruz) and best ensemble. It lost both. It also came out empty handed at the Golden Globes held the previous weekend. The expensive musical has been a major box office disappointment in the US.

Photos: Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

Kate Hudson, Daniel Day-Lewis

Justin Timberlake signs autographs on his way to the SAG Awards ceremony held Saturday, Jan. 23. Later that evening, Timberlake handed out the best actor in a comedy series award to Alec Baldwin. In 2010, Timberlake will provide the voice of “Artie” in Shrek Forever After and will be featured in David Fincher’s The Social Network.

Below, best actor in a television drama Michael C. Hall and best supporting actor in a motion picture Christoph Waltz pose for photographers. Hall, who has undergone cancer treatment (hence the skullcap), won his Actor for Dexter; Waltz won his for Quentin Tarantino’s World War II saga Inglourious Basterds. Waltz won a second award later that evening, as one of the cast members of Tarantino’s drama, the winner of the Actor for best ensemble.

Photos: Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

Penélope Cruz, Rob Marshall and Jane Krakowski pose for the cameras at the 2010 SAG Awards ceremony, held this past Saturday, Jan. 23, in Los Angeles. Cruz was a best supporting actress nominee for the musical Nine, which was directed by Marshall. The film was also up for the best ensemble award, but failed to win in either category. Touted as one of the most anticipated films of 2009, Nine was generally panned by critics and failed to find many patrons at the box office.

Jane Lynch (below) won an Actor statuette for being part of the Glee ensemble, voted the best cast in a television comedy series. Fellow players include Matthew Morrison, Jayma Mays, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, and Mark Salling. Curiously, none of Glee‘s cast members was nominated in the individual categories.

Photos: Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

Jane Lynch

Best actress nominee in a drama series Holly Hunter (Saving Grace) arrives at the 2010 SAG Awards ceremony, which took place last Saturday, Jan. 23, in Los Angeles. Hunter lost the Actor trophy to Julianna Margulies, who had also won a Golden Globe the weekend before. Hunter has been nominated for four Academy Awards; she won once for Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993). Hunter’s co-star in that movie and fellow Oscar winner, Anna Paquin, was also present at the 2010 SAG Awards. Paquin was one of the nominees for best cast in a drama series (True Blood).

Diane Kruger (below), who plays an actress and anti-Nazi spy in Inglourious Basterds, won an Actor statuette for being a member of the Inglourious Basterds cast. Kruger had also been up for a best supporting actress SAG Award, but she lost to Mo’Nique in Precious.

Photos: Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

Diane Kruger

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer at the SAG Awards.

Anna Paquin was nominated as one of the cast members of HBO’s drama True Blood. The winners in that category were the cast members of Mad Men, which also won the Golden Globe for best television series (drama) last weekend. Paquin won a best supporting actress Academy Award for her performance in Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993).

Anna Kendrick was nominated for the best supporting actress SAG Award for her performance in Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air, in which she plays opposite George Clooney. As expected, Kendrick lost to Precious’ Mo’Nique, who’ll surely end up with an Oscar in early March. Eli Roth didn’t receive an individual Actor nomination, but he was one of the ensemble winners of Quentin Tarantino’s World War II fantasy Inglourious Basterds.

Photos: Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

Jeff Bridges was the best motion-picture actor winner at the SAG Awards 2010 ceremony. Officially, Bridges won his Actor for his performance as a troubled, aging country singer in Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart. But in truth, it’s impossible not to see his SAG Award – much like his Golden Globe a week ago – as recognition for forty years of consistently good work.

Bridges had been nominated twice before for an Actor: as a member of the Seabiscuit (2003) cast and as best supporting actor for the political drama The Contender (2000). Additionally, Bridges has been nominated for four Academy Awards. He’ll surely get his fifth nomination this year, and probably his first win, too.

Kevin Bacon was voted the best actor in a television movie or miniseries for his performance in Taking Chance. Bacon, like Bridges, also won a Golden Globe last week. In fact, the SAG Awards ceremony seemed to be a replay of the Golden Globes, but with a different background, costumes, and hairdos. Just about every person who won a SAG Award yesterday, whether for film or TV work, had won a Golden Globe last week.

Perhaps the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is composed of actors passing for journalists. Or perhaps lots of out-of-work SAG members earn a living as HFPA members.

Photos: Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

Kevin Bacon

Christoph Waltz won the SAG Award for best supporting actor for his multilingual Nazi in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. In his acceptance speech, Waltz talked about the difference between stage acting and screen acting, and between a movie projectionist and Harvey Weinstein. I think. See below:

“Thank you so much.  A stage actor acts on a stage, but a screen actor doesn’t act on the screen.  The stage actor just walks on by himself, but the screen actor is put on by projectionist. Yet, we dedicate our lives to our contribution of the whole. And yes, in occasional fits of megalomania we consider ourselves worthy of a script like Inglourious Basterds, or a director like Quentin Tarantino, or men like Harvey Weinstein, or David Linde, or a studio like Weinstein or Universal …We work towards what can only be hoped for in utmost secrecy.”

Waltz will next play Sigmund Freud in The Talking Cure, to be directed by David Cronenberg. Keira Knightley and Michael Fassbender are set to co-star.

George Clooney didn’t win any awards (though he was in the running for Up in the Air), but the telethon he helped to organize for the Haiti earthquake relief efforts has reportedly earned nearly $60 million.

Photos: Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

Kevin Bacon accepts his SAG Award for best actor in a television movie or miniseries from Jon Hamm. Bacon won for Taking Chance, a drama about the return of a dead soldier’s body to his hometown. Hamm won an Actor as well, for being part of the Mad Men ensemble.

Below are best supporting actor winner Christoph Waltz, best supporting actress nominee Diane Kruger, and Inglourious Basterds director Quentin Tarantino. Kruger lost the supporting actress award to Mo’Nique (for Precious), but she did take an Actor statuette home for being part of the Basterds ensemble.

“On behalf of the entire cast of Inglourious Basterds,” Eli Roth said at the podium, “we want to say thank you to Mr. Quentin Tarantino for what you did for this film. A year ago we all sat down in Berlin and we read through the script. We all sat around and we saw that Quentin had pulled together actors from Ireland and from Austria and from France and from Newton, Massachusetts and from Germany and from New York and from the Fangoria Convention, and pulled together such a wonderful, wonderful cast. We all felt it was really something special. So it was an honor to be a part of it, Quentin.”

There are approximately 120,000 Screen Actors Guild members. How many actually cast ballots for the SAG Awards is a mystery.

Roth quote: About.com

Photos: Courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild

2010 SAG Award winners: Jan. 23, 2010

(“*” denotes the winner in each category)

FEATURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
* JEFF BRIDGES / Bad Blake – CRAZY HEART (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
GEORGE CLOONEY / Ryan Bingham – UP IN THE AIR (Paramount Pictures)
COLIN FIRTH / George Falconer – A SINGLE MAN (The Weinstein Company)
MORGAN FREEMAN / Nelson Mandela – INVICTUS (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JEREMY RENNER / Staff Sgt. William James – THE HURT LOCKER (Summit Entertainment)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
* SANDRA BULLOCK / Leigh Anne Tuohy – THE BLIND SIDE (Warner Bros. Pictures)
HELEN MIRREN / Sofya – THE LAST STATION (Sony Pictures Classics)
CAREY MULLIGAN / Jenny – AN EDUCATION (Sony Pictures Classics)
GABOUREY SIDIBE / Precious – PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE (Lionsgate)
MERYL STREEP / Julia Child – JULIE & JULIA (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
MATT DAMON / Francois Pienaar – INVICTUS (Warner Bros. Pictures)
WOODY HARRELSON / Captain Tony Stone – THE MESSENGER (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Tolstoy – THE LAST STATION (Sony Pictures Classics)
STANLEY TUCCI / George Harvey – THE LOVELY BONES (Paramount Pictures)
* CHRISTOPH WALTZ / Col. Hans Landa – INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
PENÉLOPE CRUZ / Carla – NINE (The Weinstein Company)
VERA FARMIGA / Alex Goran – UP IN THE AIR (Paramount Pictures)
ANNA KENDRICK / Natalie Keener – UP IN THE AIR (Paramount Pictures)
DIANE KRUGER / Bridget Von Hammersmark – INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)
* MO’NIQUE / Mary – PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

AN EDUCATION (Sony Pictures Classics)

DOMINIC COOPER / Danny
ALFRED MOLINA / Jack
CAREY MULLIGAN / Jenny
ROSAMUND PIKE / Helen
PETER SARSGAARD / David
EMMA THOMPSON / Headmistress
OLIVIA WILLIAMS / Miss Stubbs

THE HURT LOCKER (Summit Entertainment)

CHRISTIAN CAMARGO / Col. John Cambridge
BRIAN GERAGHTY / Specialist Owen Eldridge
EVANGELINE LILLY / Connie James
ANTHONY MACKIE / Sgt. J.T. Sanborn
JEREMY RENNER / Staff Sgt. William James

* INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

DANIEL BRÜHL / Fredrick Zoller
AUGUST DIEHL / Major Hellstrom
JULIE DREYFUS / Francesca Mondino
MICHAEL FASSBENDER / Lt. Archie Hicox
SYLVESTER GROTH / Joseph Goebbels
JACKY IDO / Marcel
DIANE KRUGER / Bridget Von Hammersmark
MÉLANIE LAURENT / Shosanna
DENIS MENOCHET / Perrier LaPedite
MIKE MYERS / General Ed French
BRAD PITT / Lt. Aldo Raine
ELI ROTH / Sgt. Donny Donowitz
TIL SCHWEIGER / Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz
ROD TAYLOR / Winston Churchill
CHRISTOPH WALTZ / Col. Hans Landa
MARTIN WUTTKE / Hitler

NINE (The Weinstein Company)

MARION COTILLARD / Luisa Contini
PENÉLOPE CRUZ / Carla
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Guido Contini
JUDI DENCH / Lillian
FERGIE / Saraghina
KATE HUDSON / Stephanie
NICOLE KIDMAN / Claudia
SOPHIA LOREN / Mamma

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE (Lionsgate)

MARIAH CAREY / Ms. Weiss
LENNY KRAVITZ / Nurse John
MO’NIQUE / Mary
PAULA PATTON / Ms. Rain
SHERRI SHEPHERD / Cornrows
GABOUREY SIDIBE / Precious

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
* KEVIN BACON / Lt. Col. Michael R. Strobl – TAKING CHANCE (HBO)
CUBA GOODING, JR. / Ben Carson – ‘GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY’ (TNT)
JEREMY IRONS / Alfred Stieglitz – ‘GEORGIA O’KEEFFE’ (Lifetime)
KEVIN KLINE / Cyrano de Bergerac – ‘GREAT PERFORMANCES: CYRANO de BERGERAC’ (PBS)
TOM WILKINSON / Salter – ‘A NUMBER’ (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
JOAN ALLEN / Georgia O’Keeffe – ‘GEORGIA O’KEEFFE’ (Lifetime)
* DREW BARRYMORE / Little Edie – ‘GREY GARDENS’ (HBO)
RUBY DEE / Mrs. Harper – ‘AMERICA’ (Lifetime)
JESSICA LANGE / Big Edie – ‘GREY GARDENS’ (HBO)
SIGOURNEY WEAVER / Mary Griffith – ‘PRAYERS FOR BOBBY’ (Lifetime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
SIMON BAKER / Patrick Jane – ‘THE MENTALIST’ (CBS)
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White – ‘BREAKING BAD’ (AMC)
* MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – ‘DEXTER’ (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper – ‘MAD MEN’ (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / House – ‘HOUSE’ (FOX)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
PATRICIA ARQUETTE/ Allison Dubois – ‘MEDIUM’ (NBC/CBS)
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes – ‘DAMAGES’ (FX)
MARISKA HARGITAY / Det. Olivia Benson – ‘LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT’ (NBC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko – ‘SAVING GRACE’ (TNT)
* JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick – ‘THE GOOD WIFE’ (CBS)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson – ‘THE CLOSER’ (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
* ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – ’30 ROCK’ (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – ‘THE OFFICE’ (NBC)
LARRY DAVID / Himself – ‘CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM’ (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk – ‘MONK’ (USA NETWORK)
CHARLIE SHEEN / Charlie Harper – ‘TWO AND A HALF MEN’ (CBS)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly – ‘SAMANTHA WHO?’ (ABC)
TONI COLLETTE / Tara Gregor – ‘UNITED STATES OF TARA’ (Showtime)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton – ‘NURSE JACKIE’ (Showtime)
* TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – ’30 ROCK’ (NBC)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / Christine Campbell – ‘THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE’ (CBS)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

THE CLOSER (TNT)

G.W. BAILEY / Lt. Provenza
MICHAEL PAUL CHAN / Lt. Mike Tao
RAYMOND CRUZ / Det. Julio Sanchez
TONY DENISON / Lt. Andy Flynn
ROBERT GOSSETT / Commander Taylor
PHILLIP P. KEENE / Buzz Watson
COREY REYNOLDS / Sgt. David Gabriel
KYRA SEDGWICK / Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson
J.K. SIMMONS / Asst. Police Chief Will Pope
JON TENNEY / FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard

DEXTER (Showtime)

PRESTON BAILEY / Cody
JULIE BENZ / Rita Bennett
JENNIFER CARPENTER / Debra Morgan
COURTNEY FORD / Christine
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan
DESMOND HARRINGTON / Joey Quinn
C.S. LEE / Vince Masuka
JOHN LITHGOW / Arthur Mitchell
RICK PETERS / Elliot
JAMES REMAR / Harry Morgan
CHRISTINA ROBINSON / Astor
LAUREN VÉLEZ / Lt. Maria Laguerta
DAVID ZAYAS / Angel Batista

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)

CHRISTINE BARANSKI / Diane Lockhart
JOSH CHARLES / Will Gardner
MATT CZUCHRY / Cary Agos
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick
ARCHIE PANJABI / Kalinda Sharma
GRAHAM PHILLIPS / Zach Florrick
MacKENZIE VEGA / Grace Florrick

* MAD MEN (AMC)

ALEXA ALEMANNI / Allison
BRYAN BATT / Salvatore Romano
JARED S. GILMORE / Bobby Draper
MICHAEL GLADIS / Paul Linsey
JON HAMM / Don Draper
JARED HARRIS / Lane Pryce
CHRISTINA HENDRICKS / Joan Holloway (Harris)
JANUARY JONES / Betty Draper
VINCENT KARTHEISER / Peter Campbell
ROBERT MORSE / Bertram Cooper
ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson
KIERNAN SHIPKA / Sally Draper
JOHN SLATTERY / Roger Sterling
RICH SOMMER / Harry Crane
CHRISTOPHER STANLEY / Henry Francis
AARON STATON / Ken Cosgrove

TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

CHRIS BAUER / Andy Bellefleur
MEHCAD BROOKS / Eggs
ANNA CAMP / Sarah Newlin
NELSAN ELLIS / Lafayette Reynolds
MICHELLE FORBES / Maryann Forrester
MARIANA KLAVENO / Lorena
RYAN KWANTEN / Jason Stackhouse
TODD LOWE / Terry Bellefleur
MICHAEL McMILLIAN / Steve Newlin
STEPHEN MOYER / Bill Compton
ANNA PAQUIN / Sookie Stackhouse
JIM PARRACK / Hoyt Fortenberry
CARRIE PRESTON / Arlene Fowler
WILLIAM SANDERSON / Bud Dearborne
ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD / Eric Northman
SAM TRAMMELL / Sam Merlotte
RUTINA WESLEY / Tara Thornton
DEBORAH ANN WOLL / Jessica Hamby

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 ROCK (NBC)

SCOTT ADSIT / Pete Hornberger
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy
KATRINA BOWDEN / Cerie
KEVIN BROWN / Dot Com
GRIZZ CHAPMAN / Grizz
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon
JUDAH FRIEDLANDER / Frank Rossitano
JANE KRAKOWSKI / Jenna Maroney
JOHN LUTZ / Lutz
JACK McBRAYER / Kenneth Parcell
TRACY MORGAN / Tracy Jordan
KEITH POWELL / Toofer

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (HBO)

LARRY DAVID / Himself
SUSIE ESSMAN / Susie Greene
JEFF GARLIN / Jeff Greene
CHERYL HINES / Cheryl David

* GLEE (FOX)

DIANA AGRON / Quinn Fabray
CHRIS COLFER / Kurt Hummel
PATRICK GALLAGHER / Ken Tanaka
JESSALYN GILSIG / Terri Schuester
JANE LYNCH / Sue Sylvester
JAYMA MAYS / Emma Pillsbury
KEVIN McHALE / Arty Abrams
LEA MICHELE / Rachel Berry
CORY MONTEITH / Finn Hudson
HEATHER MORRIS / Brittany
MATTHEW MORRISON / Will Schuester
AMBER RILEY / Mercedes
NAYA RIVERA / Santana Lopez
MARK SALLING / Puck
HARRY SHUM JR. / Mike Chang
JOSH SUSSMAN / Jacob Ben Israel
DIJON TALTON / Matt Rutherford
IQBAL THEBA / Principal Figgins
JENNA USHKOWITZ / Tina

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett
NOLAN GOULD / Luke Dunphy
SARAH HYLAND / Haley Dunphy
ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
ARIEL WINTER / Alex Dunphy

THE OFFICE (NBC)

LESLIE DAVID BAKER / Stanley Hudson
BRIAN BAUMGARTNER / Kevin Malone
CREED BRATTON / Creed Bratton
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott
JENNA FISCHER / Pam Beesly
KATE FLANNERY / Meredith Palmer
ED HELMS/ Andy Bernard
MINDY KALING / Kelly Kapoor
ELLIE KEMPER / Kellie Erin Hannon
ANGELA KINSEY / Angela Martin
JOHN KRASINSKI / Jim Halpert
PAUL LIEBERSTEIN / Toby Flenderson
B.J. NOVAK / Ryan Howard
OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez
CRAIG ROBINSON / Darryl Philbin
PHYLLIS SMITH / Phillis Lapin-Vance
RAINN WILSON / Dwight Schrute

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
PUBLIC ENEMIES (Universal Pictures)
* STAR TREK (Paramount Pictures)
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
* 24 (FOX)
THE CLOSER (TNT)
DEXTER (Showtime)
HEROES (NBC)
THE UNIT (CBS)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Betty White

SAG Award predictions

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Say what? Sandra Bullock?

I know I’m going a bit out on a limb here, but unlike Jeff Bridges’ Crazy Heart, Sandra Bullock’s The Blind Side is truly a career-capping flick – as in, more box office cash registers ringing than, say, Miss Congeniality, Infamous, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, or The Proposal. Additionally, the heart-warming, family-friendly, holiday-cheering, greenhouse-gas-reducing The Blind Side proves that

a) Bullock can be really successful in dramas,

b) she can have two major box office hits in a single year (that used to be Julia Roberts’ exclusive province),

c) she looks good as a blonde.

Item c) is the most difficult to accomplish, something I’m sure SAG members will recognize. I’m betting they’ll also want to reward Bullock for

a) her perseverance (she’s been around for more than two decades),

b) for proving everyone wrong about her “fading” box office appeal

c) for daring to (once again) get cast against type.

In just about any other year, Meryl Streep would have been my pick for the SAG Awards for her highly successful star turn in Julie & Julia – but not in 2009. After all, Bullock has never even been nominated for an individual SAG Award (though she was part of the winning Crash ensemble back in early 2006), while Streep won last year for Doubt. Two SAG Awards in a row? Though not impossible – anything is possible when it comes to Meryl Streep and acting awards – I’d say that Bullock is the one to beat this year. At least at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Carey Mulligan, much like Colin Firth for A Single Man, could produce an upset victory for her determined schoolgirl in An Education, though I believe that most SAG members – who tend to like big-name winners, anyways – will decide Mulligan still has plenty of time to bring trophies home. Gabourey Sidibe and Helen Mirren for, respectively, Precious and The Last Station, are surely glad they’ve been nominated this year. That’s good.

Photo: Ralph Nelson / Warner Bros.

2010 SAG Award Predictions

Best Actor

George Clooney (with Anna Kendrick), Up in the Air

Why George Clooney?

Reason #1: He is George Clooney, a well-liked, well-respected actor who has often used his name to push projects that have something say, e.g., Syriana, Good Night, and Good Luck., The Men Who Stare at Goats, and most recently Jason Reitman’s dramatic comedy Up in the Air, in which Clooney plays a corporate-downsizing expert whose job is to ensure that thousands of other people lose theirs.

Before you begin hating his character, consider this: It could have been much worse. Clooney’s Ryan Bingham could have been a banker or a politician, doing his utmost to destroy the lives of millions instead of mere thousands. Also, he does meet Vera Farmiga and rediscovers there’s more to life than frequent-flyer miles and pink slips.

Reason #2: The buzz surrounding Clooney’s performance has been extremely positive, with some calling it his most natural, most appealing characterization to date.

Reason #3: Up in the Air will probably become a hit, something that in itself will call more attention to Clooney’s performance.

Reason #4: Clooney’s strongest competition, Jeff Bridges, is the star of a very small movie. True, SAG Award voters will surely get screeners so they can watch Bridges at home, but Crazy Heart hasn’t been getting the kind of strong buzz that has greeted Up in the Air, the winner of numerous awards in the last few weeks. That can make a big difference – unless voters decide to honor Bridges for his career.

The other nominees – Colin Firth in A Single Man, Morgan Freeman in Invictus, and Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker – don’t seem to have much of a chance. Of the three, Firth is the only one who could emerge as an upset winner. And that would be quite an upset.

Photo: Dale Robinette / Paramount

Best Supporting Actor

Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Christoph Waltz, who plays a ruthless (but cultured) Nazi colonel in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, has been winning just about every best supporting actor award in sight in the United States; that in addition to his best actor prize at Cannes earlier this year. Though hardly a household name in the US, Waltz seems all but unbeatable come Awards Season Part II early next year thanks to Basterds’ success.

Waltz’s closest competitors among US critics have been Christian McKay, who plays Orson Welles in Richard Linklater’s little-seen Me and Orson Welles, and Woody Harrelson for his army captain in Oren Moverman’s The Messenger. But since McKay isn’t in the running for the SAG Awards – perhaps a lack of M&OW screeners made available to SAG’s 2,000+ nominating committee? – and Harrelson’s role is considerably less showy than Waltz’s, I’d say that the Vienna-born actor’s closest SAG Award competitor is another Christoph(er): Christopher Plummer, who plays a very bearded and very dogmatic Leo Tolstoy in Michael Hoffman’s The Last Station. If Plummer wins, and that’s not impossible, it’ll be less for his dying Tolstoy than for his having survived both the von Trapp family and more bad movies than just about any actor since the first nickelodeons.

Matt Damon (for his rugby player in Invictus) will probably just watch from the sidelines, but Stanley Tucci could be an upset winner if voters think of him not only in terms of The Lovely Bones, but also in terms of Julie & Julia, The Devil Wears Prada, Big Night, etc. etc. – all the way to Prizzi’s Honor back in 1985.

Having said all that, I’m still betting on Christoph Waltz.

The SAG Awards will be presented on Jan. 23, 2010.

Photo: François Duhamel / The Weinstein Co.

2010 SAG Award Predictions

Best Supporting Actress

Mo’Nique, Precious

Mo’Nique’s worst obstacle at the SAG Awards (and elsewhere) isn’t Anna Kendrick or Vera Farmiga (both for Up in the Air), but Mo’Nique herself. She’s recently gained a reputation – whether fairly or not, I don’t know – of wanting $$$ to make appearances at awards shows, film festivals, charities, college graduations, beach parties, song & dance clubs, roadside diners, and the like.

Not that I blame her, but some have complained that she didn’t show up at the Toronto Film Festival to promote her film and may not show up at the New York Film Critics Circle gala evening. That may look bad, as voters – brilliant minds all – may think she’s as big a meanie as her mom in Precious. They would then opt for someone nice like Marisa Tomei, except that Tomei isn’t in the running this year for My Cousin Vinny or anything else.

As a result, voting SAG members would have to settle for Kendrick or Farmiga or Diane Kruger (for Inglourious Basterds) or Penélope Cruz (for Nine).

Having said all that, my money (no pun intended) rests on Mo’Nique.

The SAG Awards will be presented on Jan. 23, 2010.

Photo: Anne Marie Fox / Lionsgate

Best Cast in a Motion Picture

The Hurt Locker – Christian Camargo, Brian Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner

Many consider the Screen Actors Guild’s Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Award as SAG’ best film equivalent. Generally speaking, that ain’t true. A “cast,” or “ensemble,” is exactly what the name implies: a group of performers interacting with one another in a movie. SAG Award voters, whether when selecting their nominees or winners, have almost invariably followed that “Outstanding Cast = Outstanding Group Acting” concept.

For instance, among past SAG Award nominees in the Outstanding Cast category have been How to Make an American Quilt, Marvin’s Room, Boogie Nights, The Green Mile, Chocolat, and Bobby – movies that weren’t particularly well received upon their release (and some of which turned out to be box office disappointments), but that are ensemble pieces as opposed to showcases for only one or two performers.

That concept can also be seen at work in the SAG Award winners, e.g., The Full Monty, Traffic, Gosford Park, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sideways, Crash, and Little Miss Sunshine.

This year is no exception. Each of the five nominees – An Education, Nine, Precious, Inglourious Basterds, and The Hurt Locker – feature a number of important roles. Rob Marshall’s Nine, for one, which has been greeted with – at best – mixed reviews, got in thanks to the presence of a stellar cast that includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Judi Dench, and Sophia Loren.

The Hurt Locker has no such stellar cast, but it does have something else going for it: it’s gained the reputation as the year’s most prestigious film. Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq War drama, which also features Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce, has already won several awards and is a shoo-in to nab a Best Picture Oscar nomination. As a plus, Jeremy Renner received his own private Best Actor SAG Award nod. The combination of quality (the film and performances) and quantity (the number of key roles) should prove irresistible – like what happened last year with Slumdog Millionaire. Or so I think.

The one possible upset is a victory for Quentin Tarantino’s revenge fantasy Inglourious Basterds, which has gained quite a bit of momentum since North American film critics began announcing their year-end picks. Basterds is also up for several Golden Globes and for two SAG Awards: best supporting actress Diane Kruger (who doesn’t have much of a chance to win) and best supporting actor Christoph Waltz (who doesn’t have much of a chance not to win). Even so, Tarantino’s latest doesn’t quite have the same prestige aura as The Hurt Locker.

And that’s why I’m betting on the bomb squad to take home the SAG Award for best cast.