SAG Awards 2010

SAG Awards

These awards may claim to be about acting, but really the main departure from the Golden Globes is that of pretension and class. There are only a few awards to be won and it tends to be a pretty inoffensive show. Onwards!

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:

An Education
The Hurt Locker: PROBABLE. This is where they get to make their Best Picture winner guess. “Slumdog Millionaire” won last year, and the young stars of that haven’t done much of anything this past year. “Hurt Locker” is a critical favorite and actually features some top-notch acting in addition to its heady subject matter.
Inglorious Basterds
Nine
Precious

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:

Jeff Bridges
George Clooney
Colin Firth: PROBABLE. Gay rights are still the hot thing, especially out in Hollywood. Bridges will likely take the Oscar but I can’t see Firth being ignored totally by his peers.
Morgan Freeman
Jeremy Renner

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:

Sandra Bullock
Helen Mirren
Carey Mulligan
Gabourey Sidbe
Meryl Streep: PROBABLE. There can never be a category where both Meryl Streep AND Helen Mirren get ignored, can they? This a tiny bit of a crapshoot. “Julie and Julia” premeired and Streep was the shoo-in. Then “Precious” came out, and Sidbe could have ridden that film’s popularity to the finish. “An Education” seemed to blow everyone away, but since, Mulligan has yet to receive anything for her performance. Bullock got lucky last week at the Golden Globes, and I would be more shocked than Mickey Rourke to see her win again.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:

Matt Damon
Woody Harrelson
Christopher Plummer
Stanley Tucci
Christoph Waltz: PROBABLE. This is the one I’d bet on. I can be confident here. None of these other actors were as vital to their film as Waltz was to “Inglourious Basterds.”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:

Penelope Cruz
Vera Farmiga
Anna Kendrick
Diane Kruger
Mo’Nique: PROBABLE. Her win last week solidified my theory. Actors love to see other actors lose their shit onscreen. It’s a performance most would describe as “fearless” (I prefer “shameless”) and has personal relevance to her. It would be hard for her not to win.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:

The Closer
Dexter
The Good Wife
Mad Men: PROBABLE. A classy, well designed show that’s also low-key enough to sit back every week and let its actors do the work. This season also showcased each major character at some sort of crossroads. Really good stuff.
True Blood

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:

30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm: PROBABLE. It’s like giving an award to “Sienfeld.” There’s been a huge “30 Rock” backlash and I can assure that neither it nor “The Office” will walk away with the prize.
Glee
Modern Family
The Office

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:

Simon Baker
Brian Cranston
Michael C. Hall: PROBABLE. He’s great on “Dexter,” the show just avoided a major vacuum of creativity and is more popular than ever, and the man is currently kicking cancer’s ass. He wins.
Jon Hamm
Hugh Laurie

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:

Patricia Arquette
Glenn Close
Mariska Hargitay
Holly Hunter: PROBABLE. At least, I hope so. Why Margulies won last week while Hunter wasn’t even nominated is beyond me.
Julianna Margulies
Kyra Sedgewick

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:

Alec Baldwin: PROBABLE. Baldwin takes “30 Rock’s” consolation prize, else the show walks home empty-handed. The dark horse could be Shaloub, whose show recently went off the air with a touch of deserved sentimentality.
Steve Carrell
Larry David
Tony Shaloub
Charlie Sheen

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:

Christina Applegate
Toni Collette: PROBABLE. She plays up to four roles an episode. Exhausting, plus it holds the weak premise of the show together (barely).
Edie Falco
Tina Fey
Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:

Kevin Bacon: PROBABLE. It’s a TV movie, yes, but he’s also Kevin Bacon, and sadly this puts his recent movie roles to shame.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Jeremy Irons
Kevin Kline
Tom Wilkinson

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:

Joan Allen
Drew Barrymore: PROBABLE. “Grey Gardens” was just like a theatrical release, save for the fact that Barrymore was actually quite good in it. My earlier prediction that she and Lange would split the vote turned out to be false earlier, but if anyone could steal, it’s be Dee.
Ruby Dee
Jessica Lange
Sigourney Weaver

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture:

Public Enemies
Star Trek: PROBABLE. Great movie, and it had lots of hand-to-hand combat and jumping around.
Transformers 2

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series:

24
The Closer
Dexter
Heroes: PROBABLE? A boring note to go out on.
The Unit

These awards generally tend to be quiet and reserved—unless someone particularly raucous wins something (cough, Sean Penn, cough). Not much fanfare, not much coverage on the red carpet.