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Actors take center stage in SAGs
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Also by Nicole Dorskind:
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by Nicole Dorskind
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Considering the major setbacks that have taken place in
For those of you unaware of this annual event, the awards recognize
both film and television actors in the Screen Actors Guild.
This year marked the 75th anniversary of the union and the
14th anniversary of the event. Actors including
Sally Field, Sandra Oh and Doug Savant kicked off the event by introducing
themselves at their tables with a quick, yet comedic, synopses of how they
became actors.
Beginning with television, “The Sopranos” swept the category
for drama series, despite competing with such hits as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The
Closer” and “Boston Legal.” After airing for 10 seasons, last summer marked the
end of “The Sopranos,” so perhaps it is unsurprising the mobster drama won awards
for best cast, best actor for James Gandolfini and best actress for Edie Falco.
In categories for comedy, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fay of “30
Rock” took home awards for best actor and actress in a comedy series, respectively,
while “The Office” won best comedy series, though this win was probably to
avoid another sweep. Other nominations included “Ugly Betty,” “Desperate
Housewives” and “Entourage.”
In the movie category, Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor in
“There Will Be Blood,” a stunning portrayal many are calling the performance of
his career. In his speech, Day-Lewis honored recently fallen actor Heath Ledger
for his achievements in “Monster’s Ball” and “Brokeback Mountain.”
Later in the show a segment honored a number of stars who have
recently passed away, ending with a very moving, silent shot of Ledger. It was
obvious the entire union had been deeply affected by his death.
Julie Christie won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor
in a Leading Role for “Away From Her,” an award young 20-year-old actress Ellen
Page of “Juno” was also nominated. Though she didn’t win, it was an amazing
nomination nonetheless.
The final award of the night, Outstanding Performance of a
Cast in a Motion Picture, was announced by none other than Tom Cruise, who successfully
avoided jumping on any furniture. The award went to “No Country For Old Men,”
upsetting “Hairspray,” the colorful musical where John Travolta plays the
mother of an overweight, aspiring dancer fighting for racial equality, and
“American Gangster,” which still won an award for best supporting actress Ruby
Dee.
Surprisingly, “Atonement” was shunned by the SAG Awards,
though it did win a Golden Globe for best film of the year and is up for a
number of Oscars.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Charles Durning, nearly
85 and still acting, most recently in the television series “Rescue Me.”
Overall, the SAG Awards brought celebrities once again to
the red carpet after the disappointing loss of the usual Golden Globes ceremony
to the writers’ strike. In the end, however, the awards succeed most in
generating greater buzz for the much-anticipated Oscars on Feb. 24.
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