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.
