20th Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominees announced!

I didn't realise how soon it's time for all the major awards already.  The nominations for the 20th Screen Actors Guild awards were announced today.  The Golden Globe nominations will be announced later this week.  In the meantime, let's look at the feature film nominations and what it might foretell for the Oscars.  The actors' guild is one of the largest voting guilds in the Academy and what it mean leading up to the Oscars. Certain favorites have been shut out (Sorry Leo! Sorry Amy Adams!) and while I was hoping for some out-there upsets by nominating some of the younger (Sorry  Michael B. Jordan! Sorry Brie Larson!), it does look smooth sailing for this guild.  12 Years a Slave scored the most nominations, four, with Lee Daniels' The Butler, Dallas Buyers Club and August: Osage County each getting three nominations.  The strongest and most difficult categories are the lead acting nominations with all strong and established actors getting nominations. No room for any newcomers.  The supporting categories featuring some new names including Oprah Winfrey who received her first SAG nomination.  The most anticipated category will be Best Ensemble as it might contain some clues towards Best Picture.  All will be revealed when the awards are handed out on January 18th.

Here's a full list:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

BRUCE DERN / Woody Grant – “NEBRASKA” (Paramount Pictures)

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR / Solomon Northup – “12 YEARS A SLAVE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

TOM HANKS / Capt. Richard Phillips – “CAPTAIN PHILLIPS” (Columbia Pictures)

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY / Ron Woodroof – “DALLAS BUYERS CLUB” (Focus Features)

FOREST WHITAKER / Cecil Gaines – “LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER” (The Weinstein Company)


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Jasmine – “BLUE JASMINE” (Sony Pictures Classics)

SANDRA BULLOCK / Ryan Stone – “GRAVITY” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

JUDI DENCH / Philomena Lee – “PHILOMENA” (The Weinstein Company)

MERYL STREEP / Violet Weston – “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY” (The Weinstein Company)

EMMA THOMPSON / P.L. Travers – “SAVING MR. BANKS” (Walt Disney Pictures)


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

BARKHAD ABDI / Muse – “CAPTAIN PHILLIPS” (Columbia Pictures)

DANIEL BRÜHL / Niki Lauda – “RUSH” (Universal Pictures)

MICHAEL FASSBENDER / Edwin Epps – “12 YEARS A SLAVE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

JAMES GANDOLFINI / Albert – “ENOUGH SAID” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

JARED LETO / Rayon – “DALLAS BUYERS CLUB” (Focus Features)



Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Rosalyn Rosenfeld – “AMERICAN HUSTLE” (Columbia Pictures)

LUPITA NYONG’O / Patsey – “12 YEARS A SLAVE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

JULIA ROBERTS / Barbara Weston – “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY” (The Weinstein Company)

JUNE SQUIBB / Kate Grant – “NEBRASKA” (Paramount Pictures)

OPRAH WINFREY / Gloria Gaines – “LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER” (The Weinstein Company)



Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

12 YEARS A SLAVE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH / Ford

PAUL DANO / Tibeats

GARRET DILLAHUNT / Armsby

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR / Solomon Northup

MICHAEL FASSBENDER / Edwin Epps

PAUL GIAMATTI / Freeman

SCOOT McNAIRY / Brown

LUPITA NYONG’O / Patsey

ADEPERO ODUYE / Eliza

SARAH PAULSON / Mistress Epps

BRAD PITT / Bass

MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS / Robert

ALFRE WOODARD / Mistress Shaw



AMERICAN HUSTLE (Columbia Pictures)

AMY ADAMS / Sydney Prosser

CHRISTIAN BALE / Irving Rosenfeld

LOUIS C.K. / Stoddard Thorsen

BRADLEY COOPER / Richie DiMaso

PAUL HERMAN / Alfonse Simone

JACK HUSTON / Pete Musane

JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Rosalyn Rosenfeld

ALESSANDRO NIVOLA / Federal Prosecutor

MICHAEL PEÑA / Sheik (Agent Hernandez)

JEREMY RENNER / Mayor Carmine Polito

ELISABETH RÖHM / Dolly Polito

SHEA WHIGHAM / Carl Elway



AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (The Weinstein Company)

ABIGAIL BRESLIN / Jean Fordham

CHRIS COOPER / Charles Aiken

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH / “Little” Charles Aiken

JULIETTE LEWIS / Karen Weston

MARGO MARTINDALE / Mattie Fae Aiken

EWAN McGREGOR / Bill Fordham

DERMOT MULRONEY / Steve

JULIANNE NICHOLSON / Ivy Weston

JULIA ROBERTS / Barbara Weston

SAM SHEPARD / Beverly Weston

MERYL STREEP / Violet Weston

MISTY UPHAM / Johnna



DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (Focus Features)

JENNIFER GARNER / Dr. Eve Saks

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY / Ron Woodroof

JARED LETO / Rayon

DENIS O’HARE / Dr. Sevard

DALLAS ROBERTS / David Wayne

STEVE ZAHN / Tucker



LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (The Weinstein Company)

MARIAH CAREY / Hattie Pearl

JOHN CUSACK / Richard Nixon

JANE FONDA / Nancy Reagan

CUBA GOODING, JR. / Carter Wilson

TERRENCE HOWARD / Howard

LENNY KRAVITZ / James Holloway

JAMES MARSDEN / John F. Kennedy

DAVID OYELOWO / Louis Gaines

ALEX PETTYFER / Thomas Westfall

VANESSA REDGRAVE / Annabeth Westfall

ALAN RICKMAN / Ronald Reagan

LIEV SCHREIBER / Lyndon B. Johnson

FOREST WHITAKER / Cecil Gaines

ROBIN WILLIAMS / Dwight D. Eisenhower

OPRAH WINFREY / Gloria Gaines

Screen Actors Guild 2012 Nominees announced!

They're here.  The shortest awards show (thankfully) also known as The Screen Actors Guild announced their nominees for 2012.  Here are the lucky nominees:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper (“Pat”) - Silver Linings Playbook (The Weinstein Company)
Daniel Day-Lewis (“Abraham Lincoln”) – Lincoln (Touchstone Pictures)
John Hawkes (“Mark”) - The Sessions (Fox Searchlight)
Hugh Jackman (“Jean Valjean”) - Les Misérables (Universal Pictures)
Denzel Washington (“Whip Whitaker”) – Flight (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain (“Maya”) – Zero Dark Thirty (Columbia Pictures)
Marion Cotillard (“Stephanie”) – Rust and Bone (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jennifer Lawrence (“Tiffany”) – Silver Linings Playbook (The Weinstein Company)
Helen Mirren (“Alma Reville”) – Hitchcock (Fox Searchlight)
Naomi Watts (“Maria”) - The Impossible (Summit Entertainment)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin (“Lester Siegel”) – Argo (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Javier Bardem (“Silva”) – “SKYFALL” (Columbia Pictures)
Robert De Niro (“Pat, Sr.”) – Silver Linings Playbook (The Weinstein Company)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Lancaster Dodd”) – The Master (The Weinstein Company)
Tommy Lee Jones (“Thaddeus Stevens”) - Lincoln (Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Sally Field (“Mary Todd Lincoln”) - Lincoln (Touchstone Pictures)
Anne Hathaway (“Fantine”) – Les Misérables (Universal Pictures)
Helen Hunt (“Cheryl”) – The Sessions (Fox Searchlight)
Nicole Kidman (“Charlotte Bless”) – The Paperboy (Millennium Entertainment)
Maggie Smith (“Muriel Donnelly”) - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Bourne Legacy
The Dark Knight Rises
Les Misérables
Skyfall

Surprises? Skyfall and the seniors over The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel broke through!  Beasts of the Southern Wild wasn't eligible for this as the actors weren't from the SAG union so it is a bit of a bummer.  This award is a huge boost to any movie's campaign.  The rest are all the usual suspects, Lincoln, Les Miserables, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook.  Though I am surprised not to see the cast of Zero Dark Thirty nominated for Ensemble.  I personally think the leading actor category is spot on.  All five actors are the major contenders for the Academy Awards as well.  Your thoughts?

SAG Awards nominees announced!!

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris


My take: No Harry Potter? Booo!! This was the last chance to show recognition to the cast of the film which contained almost every working actor in Britain today.  Boo!! It warranted a second boo.  That being said, this award practically belongs to The Help.  


BEST ACTOR
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The DescendantsLeonardo DiCaprio, J. EdgarJean Dujardin, The ArtistBrad Pitt, Moneyball


My take: Is it finally time for Leonardo DiCaprio to win his first Oscar? Probably but Brad Pitt is the one who is receiving more buzz this year.  Looks like Leo will have to wait another year.  PS- Whatever happened to Michael Fassbender's nomination? Is Shame too risky a movie for SAG members?


BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close, Albert NobbsViola Davis, The HelpMeryl Streep, The Iron LadyTilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About KevinMichelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn


My take: Meryl, Meryl, Meryl.  She's nominated again for the billionth time and I'd love to see her win again but Violas Davis was something else in The Help.  Those eyes!! She totally deserves to win.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J. Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners


My take: Having seen both Beginners and Warrior recently, both Nolte and Plummer have given career defining performances.  I'd say Plummer would be the one to beat.  Way to go Jonah Hill on his nomination!  Please don't give up on comedy though.  


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help


My take: It's all about Melissa McCarthy for this category unless the ladies from The Help have something to do about it.  

Screen Actors Guild Nominations 2011

Fresh off the heels of the Golden Globe nominations comes the Screen Actors Guild nominations, one of the largest guilds that votes for the Oscars.  Lots of surprises and lots of usual suspects as well.  Here are the complete list of the movie nominees.  (I am not including the television nominees, sorry!)


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

JEFF BRIDGES / Rooster Cogburn – “TRUE GRIT” (Paramount Pictures)
ROBERT DUVALL / Felix Bush – “GET LOW” (Sony Pictures Classics)
JESSE EISENBERG / Mark Zuckerberg – “THE SOCIAL NETWORK” (Columbia Pictures)
COLIN FIRTH / King George VI – “THE KING’S SPEECH” (The Weinstein Company)
JAMES FRANCO / Aron Ralston – “127 HOURS” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
ANNETTE BENING / Nic – “THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT” (Focus Features)
NICOLE KIDMAN / Becca – “RABBIT HOLE” (Lionsgate)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Ree Dolly – “WINTER’S BONE” (Roadside Attractions)
NATALIE PORTMAN / Nina Sayers – “BLACK SWAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
HILARY SWANK / Betty Anne Waters – “CONVICTION” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
CHRISTIAN BALE / Dicky Eklund – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures)
JOHN HAWKES / Teardrop – “WINTER’S BONE” (Roadside Attractions)
JEREMY RENNER / James Coughlin – “THE TOWN” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
MARK RUFFALO / Paul – “THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT” (Focus Features)
GEOFFREY RUSH / Lionel Logue – “THE KING’S SPEECH” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
AMY ADAMS / Charlene Fleming – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures)
HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Queen Elizabeth – “THE KING’S SPEECH” (The Weinstein Company)
MILA KUNIS / Lily – “BLACK SWAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
MELISSA LEO / Alice Ward – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures)
HAILEE STEINFELD / Mattie Ross – “TRUE GRIT” (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
VINCENT CASSEL / Thomas Leroy
BARBARA HERSHEY / Erica Sayers
MILA KUNIS / Lily
NATALIE PORTMAN / Nina Sayers
WINONA RYDER / Beth Macintyre

THE FIGHTER (Paramount Pictures)
AMY ADAMS / Charlene Fleming
CHRISTIAN BALE / Dicky Eklund
MELISSA LEO / Alice Ward
JACK MCGEE / George Ward
MARK WAHLBERG / Micky Ward

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features)
ANNETTE BENING / Nic
JOSH HUTCHERSON / Laser
JULIANNE MOORE / Jules
MARK RUFFALO / Paul
MIA WASIKOWSKA / Joni

THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)
ANTHONY ANDREWS / Stanley Baldwin
HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Queen Elizabeth
JENNIFER EHLE / Myrtle Logue
COLIN FIRTH / King George VI
MICHAEL GAMBON / King George V
DEREK JACOBI / Archbishop Cosmo Lang
GUY PEARCE / King Edward VIII
GEOFFREY RUSH / Lionel Logue
TIMOTHY SPALL / Winston Churchill

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Columbia Pictures)
JESSE EISENBERG / Mark Zuckerberg
ANDREW GARFIELD / Eduardo Saverin
ARMIE HAMMER / Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss
MAX MINGHELLA / Divya Narendra
JOSH PENCE / Tyler Winklevoss
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE / Sean Parker

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
GREEN ZONE (Universal Pictures)
INCEPTION (Warner Bros. Pictures)
ROBIN HOOD (Universal Pictures)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild Awards 47th Annual Life Achievement Award
Ernest Borgnine

One of the biggest reasons I like the SAG awards is it is also one of the shortest awards shows.  No technical awards just good old populist acting awards.  For me, I live in Mumbai, India and have to get up at the crack of dawn to watch them, it helps to get straight to the point.  The only thing I am disappointed in is however, the lack of recognition for Leonardo DiCaprio for either Shutter Island (a seriously under appreciated film) or Inception.  I was truly hoping for an ensemble award for the cast of Inception.  Let's hope the Oscars don't forget them.