Sunday's 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards yielded an array of wins from a plethora of talented actors who, as SAG entails, nominated and voted for each other.
"30 Rock" favorites Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin won for Outstanding Performances by Female and Male Actors in a Comedy Series, but were overtaken for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series by "Modern Family." They didn't go unnoticed, however, because during Jesse Tyler Ferguson's acceptance speech on behalf of "Modern Family" he thanked both "30 Rock" and "The Office" for setting the stage for great comedies.
Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman brought some humor to the descriptions of the films nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture by referring to "Les Miserables" in a "Catwoman" meets "X-Men" with a side of "Mama Mia" sort of way. Hathaway also walked away with the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Supporting Role, but Jackman was overtaken for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role by Daniel Day-Lewis for "Lincoln."
Day-Lewis' co-star Tommy Lee Jones won for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. Jennifer Lawrence joined these coveted ranks by winning Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for "Silver Lining's Playbook" and caused much speculation about whether or not she ripped her dress on her way to the stage.
Outstanding Performance by a Male or Female Actor in a Drama Series went to Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad" and Claire Danes for "Homeland," but both of their shows along with "Madmen" and "Boardwalk Empire" lost to "Downtown Abbey" for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
The actors for Outstanding Performances by a Female or Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries went to Julianne Moore and Kevin Costner for "Game Change" and "Hatfields & McCoys" respectively.
Before the night concluded, Alec Baldwin made a second appearance to present Dick Van Dyke with the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award.
The night was not complete until "Argo" overrode its very impressive competition "Silver Lining's Playbook," "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," "Les Miserables" and "Lincoln" for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Some say the SAG Awards are typically predictors of who will walk away with Oscars, but we will have to wait until Feb. 24 to find out.
Samantha Giedris can be reached at Samantha.giedris@student.shu.edu.
