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My family has been making movies for a long time. Long before CGI, before Technicolor, before sound. They helped create and support the organizations giving out awards this season. And maybe that’s why I’m always more interested in who takes home a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award than a Golden Globe.
Don’t get me wrong, the Globes are a great honor, but to be recognized by your peers is truly gratifying -- an award from those who know what you do because they do it, who know how hard you must work and judge you based on criteria others would not (for better or worse).
Guild awards may not get the same media coverage, but they play an interesting role in how things unfold at the big O. The Awards Season Calendar is full. Almost all guild awards take place BEFORE final Oscar voting -- including last night’s 17th Annual SAG Awards. Most years, SAG winners echo what we see come Oscar night, along with the WGA, DGA and Producer’s Guild picks, which begs the question: Are voters under the influence?
It’s like, if a contest were held in high schools to determine the most popular boy and girl before homecoming, there would be no surprise who was crowned king and queen at the big game, right? (Does life ever stop feeling like high school?)
The awards were held in LA, with a style more cocktail than black tie (though Armie Hammer looked very old Hollywood in his tux), and a bit more eclectic, from Winona Ryder’s white Alberta Ferretti gown to Amy Poehler’s knee-length LBD. Compared with the Globes, it was practically G-rated (save Natalie Portman being bleeped while thanking her parents) and, as awards shows go, superfast at just two hours.
The show began with actors from 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer to Modern Family’s Rico Rodriguez doing quick intros about themselves, each ending with a 12 step-ish “…and I am an actor.” Though most dinners went untouched (who wants to be on camera with a mouthful of arugula?), seating guests at tables instead of rows of theater seats made the massive Shrine auditorium feel almost intimate. The show wasn’t emceed, but viewers were encouraged to “Join the Conversation” with social media hostess @Angie_Harmon, who was tweeting and Facebook posting through the show.
Last night’s winners didn’t exactly mirror the Globes, as we’ve seen in years past, so there could be some interesting surprises come February 27th.
The Fighter’s Melissa Leo and Christian Bale, and The King’s Speech’s Colin Firth were a bit of Golden Globes deja vu, as was Natalie Portman, whose win for Black Swan leaves a question as to whether she or Annette Bening (who won the Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy for The Kids Are All Right) will be the Academy’s choice.
Jesse Eisenberg rushed back to LA after his stint on SNL the night before, but The Social Network as film of the year seemed uncertain as Best Ensemble went to The King’s Speech (which also took the DGA Award on Saturday).
This is a tough business. Work is unpredictable, and often intense, but you forge strong relationships. I loved how Christian Bale (taking the stage with the real Dicky Eklund) noted how long and boring acceptance speeches can be, but “when you win something, you realize just how many other people you are dependent on.” And ninety-four year old Ernest Borgnine accepted the Life Achievement Award, so grateful to have made a career doing what he loved. “We are a privileged few who have been chosen to work in this field,” he said, after a tribute to his seventy years in film and TV. And speaking of TV, while the while the show is an Oscar precursor, it also had some great
